บท 154: Chapter 154: Divining the Truth
Ravyn POV
"MOTHER. You are nearly drained. You can't help Jude if you fall on your face from exhaustion," Lilia argued, trying to shoo Ravyn out of her own Healarium in Faolan Castle. "Bram, help me."
Sometimes, Ravyn thought, Lilia could be so short-sighted for someone so wise.
Bram raked his hands through his red hair. "Well, if she wants to stay by his side ... she is the acting Alpha. The council hasn't objected. This is so rare that an Alpha is ill and a Luna takes over as Alpha temporarily. I think I've read about one or two cases, but they're not common."
Ravyn could smell Bram's distress. She could feel Jude's anguish, like wading through brambles. Oddly, she could taste the jam cake that Vita, the Faolan housekeeper, had made for the bonding ceremony. The hint of sweetness from the jam and frosting reminded her that just a few short hours ago, she and Jude had their dream ceremony. Their dream bonding with their family and friends ... then, because of a perfect storm, her dream turned into a nightmare.
She pulled Bram into her arms, trying to rise above her own shock and grief. "We'll do everything we can for your father. Makhel and Kulenza say that taking him to the Shrine of Last Hopes isn't an option, because his soul is still there. His spirit is whole. I can feel his wolf. It's not at all like it was for Cyran and Naomi."
Bram buried his head in her shoulder. "But can't we at least try?"
Hanging around for moral support, Anneliese explained in her distinctive manner. "It wouldn't work. Using the Pallamarok Rite of Soul Fusion to deal with a walk-in would be like swatting a fly with a supply wagon. It's just excessive, not to mention dangerous."
"Oh, right." Bram's shoulders slumped. "You would know. You and Patch went through all that with Cyran and Tulaska."
Anneliese shuddered. "Yes, and I don't recommend doing soul fusion unless you have to. It doesn't work with walk-ins anyway."
"Then what does?" Bram raised his voice as he lifted his head. "How do we get this squatter out of my father's body and mind?"
"You have to find out what he, she, or it wants," Ravyn told him, trying not to sound academic. "And also WHY your father is vulnerable to having a walk-in. Is it just because of being in the Nightmare Realm? Did it bring up issues about your mother's death?"
Bram shook his head. "That can't be. My father was so happy. He still is."
Anneliese's eyes were empathetic. "The two things aren't mutually exclusive. He could still be happy and feel some kind of unresolved pain and grief."
Bram swore in the werewolf tongue, then pulled away from Ravyn. "Magic--it's nothing but trouble." He stalked off, his hair wild, his eyes flashing.
"BRAM."
Ravyn hated to use the authoritative, queenly tone, but she needed to.
Freezing for a moment, he spun and faced her. "What is it?"
"You cannot behave like you did before. This pack needs its Beta," Ravyn commanded. "There isn't anyone else I would personally trust in the role. Don't add to your father's struggle. You can be angry all you want, but the pack needs you."
Bram huffed, offended. "I just wanted a moment to myself. It's all too overwhelming."
Recognizing his sincerity, Ravyn said gently, "Go clear your head."
Nodding thanks, Bram shuffled out of the Healarium.
Anneliese's and Lilia's gazes pinned Ravyn down, and she held up her hands. "I have to trust him. He's my Beta, and he's family. Now, we need to find out who this walk-in is."
"Kelara and Talon are going to dream walk to find the truth," Lilia said. "Cyran and Garnet, too. They're lying in Erika's healing space. We should monitor them."
Ravyn nodded, grateful to be doing something. "Then let's go."
* * * * *
Garnet POV
Inside Eirika's Wise Woman space, Garnet lay beside Cyran while Kelara and Talon occupied another bed. They formed a powerful dream link that would enable them to pierce through the mystery surrounding Jude and uncover the truth.
She sensed Lilia, Ravyn, and Anneliese lying down too, joining their connection, making it a million times more powerful.
Garnet had to remember the steps to communicate with a walk-in spirit.
Establish a clear connection.
Seek to understand the spirit--he or she might be confused.
She found herself standing on the shore of Murmuring Lake, but it was completely still. Jude stood in the shallow water, looking out over the lake. The fog curled around him.
"Jude, what are you looking for?" she asked.
Enigmatically, he said, "For my companion."
Ravyn's voice was steady beside them. "Who is your companion?"
Jude put a finger to his lips. "I can't tell you. I have to reveal it to you. Otherwise, you'd never believe me."
Garnet, Cyran, Kelara, and Talon clustered around them. "Jude ... why the walk-in? Why?" Cyran asked.
"It's not because I'm damaged, if that's what you're thinking," Jude said gently. "It's more that my companion needed a home. A safe haven."
Kelara ventured, "But sometimes, aren't walk-ins more advanced souls that come to uplift the body they inhabit?"
Jude kicked his feet in the lake. "Yes, and this one is no exception, though he went through a long dark night of the soul as well. He's ready for a higher existence."
Ravyn's eyes were hopeful. "Can you just find him another body? Surely, this isn't your burden to carry. You have a pack to lead. A family that loves you ... and a pup on the way."
Garnet's eyes darkened, "And what if this companion of yours makes you a tyrant?"
Jude shook his head. "No. He's already been one."
Garnet felt a chill as the fog thickened. "That doesn't sound promising. Who is it?"
Jude pointed toward ripples in the water that became bigger, suggesting something was moving beneath the surface.
Rising from the water, shrouded in fog, a glistening figure appeared, and slowly came toward them. Garnet could feel the flutters in her stomach, even in the dream.
"Jude, we need to get rid of this 'companion,'" Lilia urged him.
A look of great sorrow came over Jude's face. "If that happens, he has nowhere else to go, and she'll find him and claim him before we know what's happening."
The clues fell into place for all of them and they gasped, "NO."
The fog thinned out at that moment, and a familiar figure appeared. A shifter in human form, with red, glowing eyes.
"Jude and I are like brothers," he said in that unmistakable voice.
Completely dumbfounded, Ravyn spoke one trembling word. "Hades."
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AmandaMadden
AmandaMadden Seeding all the clues across so many chapters took much patience and care! I didn't want to give away the twist too soon! What do you think? What will everyone do?
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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