Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

W ooden pillars rise, connected by a thick rope in a striking circular structure.

"I know this place." Kirk shields his eyes from the sun. "It's the Medicine Wheel."

"I can see why that name stuck with you," I say, marveling at the sight.

Sunrays catch the stone buried in the ground. Bright-colored clothes wind around the ropes and flap in the wind.

"Those are prayer offerings. This is sacred ground to the Native Americans who often visit."

"Impressive, Cadoc," I purr. I love a man who knows his history.

Cadoc smiles. "I did a paper on this place for school. It always felt magical to me."

"There used to be a clear path of rocks that divided the wheel. I remember this from a class field trip." Bo points to the land.

"I must've been sick that day, cause I don't remember it." I frown. I would've loved this.

"You know we don't risk our female young. They stayed protected on pack land," Bo says.

"Little did we know the call was coming from inside the house," I say glumly.

Fell bumps my shoulders with his. "We're going to raise the alarm. Alpha won't keep getting away with it."

Clearing my throat, I nod.

"Okay, you got us here now what?" Bo raises the sundial. We stare at the circular face.

"There's more here than we see on the surface." Fell hums. "The energy here is active. Open up and feel it." Fell closes his eyes and I follow his example.

An electrical buzz tickles my ear. "I hear it." I'm awed by how alive the land is. There's a heartbeat coming from somewhere in the ground.

"It's waiting to be woken." Fell's voice is confident.

"Okay. Let's make some noise then." Bo opens the car door, and we all climb out.

Fell tilts his head, holding his hands out and creating a rectangle with pointer fingers and thumb. His signature lights up through our link. He pulls us into his mental point of view. I gasp at the colorful grid of blue and white lines intersecting around the wheel.

Bo whistles. "This place is a spiritual Fort Knox!"

Cadoc sizes up the situation. "I'm not sure how you intend to break through that."

"We need it to open of its own volition," Fell mumbles. "It's a puzzle. I'm not sure how to solve it yet."

Wispy white beings drift up from the ground. Their shape is humanoid but sexless.

"What are those?" Bo's voice is low and calm.

"Landvattor," I whisper. The land spirits exude earthly, ancient energy. Their colors change to green, blue, red, and yellow.

"They represent the elements," Kirk muses.

A large, shapeless puff of energy drifts up into the center of the wheel. It pulses with authority and power. The others seem to be still, waiting. Tendrils of electricity creep out like the wheel. Curiosity tints the static touch traveling along my skin.

I hold my breath. I've sensed land spirits before on pack land, but I've never interacted with them like this. Well-fed by the offerings, these spirits could pack a potent punch if they want to.

Invisible fingers trail across my ribs, and I laugh. The white central energy brightens.

"It likes you." Amusement colors Fell's words.

"My mates and I only want what belongs to us." I swallow. "We believe in the old gods and follow the old ways." I reach into my pocket and bring out a leftover packet of honey from breakfast on the road. I peel the lid open and kneel.

"We offer you this honey as thanks for our safe passage." I tip the sticky substance out onto the ground to be eaten by spirits, insects, and other curious animals.

The spirits twirl around each other in a strange dance. Flitting back and forth like butterflies, they're captivating. The cloud widens and lengthens, forming a door. Solidifying it absorbs the other colors. A bright flash of light, then a stained-glass door swings open, revealing a staircase that leads down into the earth.

"I think we've been accepted into their good graces." Cadoc stared at the opening.

"Only one way to find out." Fell takes the lead. "I don't sense any danger. They're pleased with their offering." Fell steps through the door and stops to glance over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Show off." Bo flips him off.

"I'll take the rear," Cadoc gestures toward Bo. Kirk falls in behind me and we walk single file into the darkness.

The temperature drops as we take the stairs down. The door slams behind us. I flinch.

Fell exhales. "No way now but forward."

Swallowing hard, I study the walls. Green lights hover in mid-air, illuminating our path. Glyphs and symbols cover the walls. "I think this place is older than the Native Americans who built above it," I admit.

Fell skims the wall with the tips of his fingers. "The power in these walls is far older than seven -hundred years."

"Who built this place?" Bo cranes his neck, drinking everything in.

"No one we've ever read about, I'm sure," I say dryly.

I trip in the dark and Kirk catches me by the arm. "You okay?"

Everyone stops.

"Yeah. I tripped over something." I pull my phone from my back pocket and turn on the flashlight.

"Hang on. I have something better." Kirk pulls a small flashlight from his satchel.

"You never know when you'll need to harvest herbs," he explains. He hands Fell and I two lights, to examine fine details, keeping one for himself.

"We don't l know what we're facing down here. So we need to keep the formation tight and look at everything." Cadoc's voice is stern.

I shine the beam of light on the ground and balk. "We aren't the only ones who came down here." The modern portable shovel in the dirt looks new.

"Shit." Bo scans the area

"I didn't hear anything." Kirk lowers his voice.

"What if someone already has the amulet?" A knot forms in my throat. "Maybe we took too long. The burned man and the fellowship made it clear they were after it too. Whoever gets it determines the future of the packs."

"No. I don't believe that," Fell answers curtly.

"We need to hurry," Cadoc insists.

The mood shifts. We continue down the tunnel. It opens to a larger cavern.

"Woah." I lift my head.

"This is straight out of Indiana Jones." Bo spins in a slow circle.

"Which means expect traps." Kirk's gaze darts around the area.

"Power is never yielded easily." Cadoc clucks his tongue.

Three dark tunnels are lined up six yards away.

"Which one?" I turn to Fell.

"I'm not getting anything. I think this is your journey to lead."

"Lucky me." The middle entrance beckons me. "This one." I point. We enter the tunnel, and the area narrows, forcing us back into a single file line.

We come to an alcove. Three white columns-style podiums sit side-by-side with birch woven baskets on top. Embedded in the cavern wall behind them is a moss-covered door.

"Okay." Bo frowns.

"I have no clue what this is," I admit.

"I don't hear anything living inside," Cadoc eyes the baskets.

"Doesn't mean the contents aren't deadly."

Kirk sniffs. "It's herbs." Cadoc stretches out his arm, blocking Kirk.

"Easy." Cadoc's voice is full of tension

"We don't have time to waste playing it safe," Kirk reminds him, gently.

"Then let me go. You can fix me up. I can't say I'd be able to do the same," Cadoc reasons.

Kirk yields, allowing him to take his place exploring.

"You're right. There are bundles of herbs." Cadoc frowns. "It all blends for me."

Opening his mouth, Kirk inhales deeply. "There's a dangerous ingredient in one of these. I can smell its bitterness."

"Which one?" Cadoc switches from one foot to the other.

Kirk steps closer, clasping his hands behind his back. Bending closer, he peers into the baskets, examining the contents of each. "This one is off." Kirk points to the third pedestal.

"Great job, Doc." Bo exudes mock cheer. "Now, what the hell do we do with that information?"

The air grows cold. Teeth chattering, we rub our arms. The sudden chill cuts through our above-average core temperature. Tiny white flakes drift down from the ceiling of the cave.

"It is snowing?" Fell tilts his head up. Eyes wide, he holds out his hand, catching the flakes on his palm.

The wind kicks up out of nowhere. Shivering, we approach the door. The walls freeze over, turning white.

"There's no handle," I say.

"There's not even a hinge to show it can open." Cadoc runs a hand through his thick hair.

The flakes grow larger. Snow gathers on the ground.

"We're going to freeze to death if we don't do something," Bo insists, pulling his hands into his sleeves.

"Let's backtrack," Fell suggests. White clouds form with his words.

Spinning around, my heart skips a beat. There's a wall where the entrance stood. We're trapped in an ice cube with one exit we can't figure out.

"Plan B then," Cadoc mutters, frowning.

"What's that?" Bo's brows dip.

"I'll tell you when I figure it out." Cadoc's scent sours with anxiety.

"Let's take stock of our supplies," Kirk rummages through his satchel. "Water, meds, light." We all list things in the small packs we brought with us.

Bo places his hands on his armpits. "It'll be warmer if we shift."

Cadoc nods. "Let's do that, and we'll talk through our link."

I wait for the familiar rearranging of bones and muscles. It doesn't come.

"Something's blocking us." Horror is etched into Kirks' face.

"How the fuck is that possible?" Bo growls.

"I think this is one of those traps we talked about." I pull my arms into my thick long-sleeved shirt.

"I can bring our temperature up to buy time," Kirk rummages in his bag, pulling out a metal canteen. "We have enough to make tea."

"We're about to freeze to death and your response is to make tea? This isn't England. A cuppa isn't going to make everything better," Bo rants.

"No, but the one I make will combat hypothermia and keep us thinking straight longer. I don't think this combination of herbs is a coincidence. They have warming properties." Kirk's voice is calm, but lines have appeared around his mouth and eyes.

Cadoc grimaces. "And if you're wrong about the tea?"

"You can trust me or slowly lose cognitive function." Kirk speaks bluntly.

"Do it." The anguished words are full of doubt with a hint of fear. The ex-enforcer isn't used to relinquishing control.

"Start a fire, Fell." Kirk walks over to the baskets and harvests. His fingers move deftly over the bundles, breaking them apart and separating the pieces of the plant he needs.

"How can I help?" I join Fell on the ground. Digging a hole with the trowel, he fills the dry earth with sticks mixed with kindling.

"Block the wind and snow if you can."

The flakes stop drifting down. I look up and find Bo covering us both with his jacket. I smile as Fell lights a match. It catches on the kindling, and he blows on the pile. Slowly the fire spreads and grows.

"Fire's ready, Kirk," Fell calls.

"Good. Fill the canteen with water. The clip folds out to become a handle. It'll keep you from burning yourself." Kirk continues to work with the dried-out flowers as Fell complies. "Okay, here we go." Kirk drops the blooms into the canteen. "Now swish it around."

The flowers open up as if they're blooming. It'd be a beautiful sight if I wasn't so damn cold. Turning blue, the water becomes fragrant.

"It's ready," Kirk announces. "A few sips a piece will do."

"Down the hatch," Cadoc is the first drink of the warm liquid. Waiting, we stare. Cadoc's face regains color, and his body relaxes.

"It worked," Cadoc marvels.

"Princess, you take the next drink." Bo nudges me forward.

We quickly drain the cup dry.

All the columns crack and shatter. The baskets fall to the ground, and the poisonous contents topple to the ground. The blooms turn black and form an inky puddle. Like a living creature, the blob creeps forward, melting away the moss on the bottom of the doorway. It travels upward, revealing a green rectangle that opens to the next area.

"Good thing you didn't drink that shit." Bo cringes.

"Yeah. Thank you, Kirk." Cadoc's voice is hoarse, and his face is flushed. I think it's more than the tea, flustering him. Expression pinched; he shakes Kirk's hand.

"You have a clan at your back now, Cadoc. Everything's shared." Kirk pats his shoulder.

"We all have to face our fears. That's what Fell said," Cadoc whispers the words.

"Your worst fear is tea?" Bo asks skeptically.

"Loss of control. It's been the difference between life and death many times over. Trusting the wrong person has proved to be near fatal when I was an enforcer." Cadoc shoves his hands in his pockets.

"What matters is that you did trust Kirk, and because of it, we made it through." I place my hand on his chest, feeling his heart thump wildly. "Looks like we're a formidable team, huh?" I smile.

"I think this belongs to you." Kirk plucks something off the ground. Opening his palm, he reveals a chunky silver ring with a green stone.

Cadoc picks up the ring, and the stone glows. He slips it on his ring finger and stands taller.

"I was wrong. This isn't like Indiana Jones. It's an absolute mind fuck straight out of a Grimms' fairytale." Bo groans.

"Hold tight. It's just getting started." Fell pats him on his shoulder, and we continue.