“I can feel it,” I said after an hour.
Sinthy looked at me and grinned. “These are your lands. Your soul and the soul of your pack are imprinted upon them. I’m surprised this is the first time you’ve had a physical sensation to my magic. You need to connect with nature more often.”
I laughed at that and nodded. “I don’t get out as much as I did when I was younger. Too much to worry about and work on most days. Do you think that would really help?”
With a knowing look in her eyes, she said, “It would. The more connected you are to the earth itself, the more you’ll notice not only my magic but the magic that binds the world together. If you can connect to that, then you can pull power from it. Where do you think I get the power I use to implement my spells and potions?” She touched a tree, pressing her hand against the bark, and frowned.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Witches have walked here before. There are still remnants of their power. It’s very old magic. But this place was blessed once before. A strong witch, and if I’m not mistaken, it wasblessed for an ancient alpha and his pack. Long gone, but the magic is still here. Wisps and shadows, but still there.” She cast her eyes over to me. “Connect with your home, and you’ll see. Get down deep with nature, and you’ll be surprised by what you find.”
“Huh,” I said, at a loss for words.
Later that night, after finishing with Sinthy and eating dinner, I called Tiago. It took a while, but I explained what we had planned and that his pack would be the first we were bringing in.
Tiago let out a shudder of relief, and it was the first time I understood how scared my friend was.
“Thank you, Nico. You have no idea how much this means to me and my son. There are dozens of people outside our hideout. It’s safer than our pack lands, but word got out. The protestors tracked us down. We have to fight off an incursion almost every day. The police are trying, but… well, you understand.”
“I do. There’s a large building on our land which we’ll use to house as many as we can. It’s an old Moon Mate ceremony house. It should fit a couple hundred. The plan is to house the men there. The women and children will bunk in homes with members of my pack.”
It had been decades since the building had been used for its intended use. When my grandfather built it, our pack was the most centrally located in the state, but once a wolf pack was founded south of Kissimmee, it was rarely used for the ceremony. The pack had kept it clean and usable, though. It would be more than big enough for our purposes.
“Thank you again, Nico. I’ll let my people know. When can we expect you?”
“We want it to be done as quietly as possible. We also want as few prying eyes as possible. I’m thinking we’ll come to you at around two a.m. Does that work? I hate to say it, but if yourpeople can pack up any food you have, it would be a big help. We’re well-stocked on supplies, but not for this many people.”
“Totally understand. I’ll get the word out. I’ll have everyone pack a small bag of clothes and personal items and whatever food they can carry. I’ll see you tonight.”
Later that afternoon, I found Maddy sitting in the field we used for training, lost in thought.
“How’s it going?” I asked as I settled on the grass beside her.
“Fine. How’d the call with Tiago go?”
“Stoked. He sounded like he was on a razor’s edge. I think the anti-shifter activists near his compound are getting antsy. Looks like we may have done this in the nick of time.”
“Good. And Sinthy has the wards strengthened? I didn’t get to ask you about it when you returned.”
I told her about our walk in the woods, the strange substance she used, and the sensation of ancient power she’d felt.
“So, a pack ruled these lands before?” Maddy asked. “And a witch? Sort of déjà vu, right?”
I nodded. “It is. I keep thinking about what she said. That I should have felt it a long time ago, but I wasn’t fully connected to the land. That’s difficult for a shifter to hear. All we do is commune with nature—at least, I thought we did.”
The sun had tucked itself behind the horizon, and the lands were cast in dark orange light and shadow. I had a sudden urge to go into the woods.
Nudging Maddy, I said, “You wanna go try something?”
“I think I’m still sore from the past three days, but thanks anyway.”
“Not that. I want to see if I can do what Sinthy said. I want to give it a shot.”
A few minutes later, Maddy and I stepped into the small clearing I enjoyed coming to. The woods were almost fully darknow as the moon began to rise. Maddy seemed at peace as she smiled at me. It was a weird, knowing smile.
“I think I can feel what Sinthy’s talking about,” Maddy said. “I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out.”
I sighed in irritation. I’d lived on these lands my entire life, and I was only now figuring out their history. I sank to the forest floor and crossed my legs.
