Everyone other than Bear Hood stared at me. Including Alban, who hesitated before declaring, “I cannae let you make that sacrifice.”
“It’s not up to you,” I insisted. And I couldn’t believe I was having to do this, but I reminded him. “I made sure the rule was included when we put together the New St. Ailbe Ordnung. She-wolves can come and go as they like — without restraint or repercussion.”
Yeah, I’d added that rule to ensure I’d be able to leave when it was time for me to fly back to Ontario at the beginning of next year. But if it meant saving Ellie, I was more than willing to wield it for her greater good. Especially now that I no longer had a physical weapon to defend her with.
“I volunteer to go too,” Sadie cried.
“No, Sadie, you can’t!” I strained to look at my best friend over the butcher knife at my neck. “This is my sacrifice alone.”
“Actually…” The Pirate regarded me with a faintly bemused look. “Going with us isn’t a choice. You’rebothcoming with us for this special opportunity either way.”
“See Nay, it’s already all decided,” Sadie told me with a shaky but brave voice. “I’m going with you.”
Had I thought I felt guilty earlier? My heart clenched with so much regret. If only Sadie had hidden and never come up here.
“Okay, then, we’ll be on our way.” The somewhat reasonable Pirate turned to Alban. “If you’ll put down the pokey stick and step aside, Defender.”
The stormy look on Alban’s face let me know he wasn’t on board with this plan. Like, at all.
“Please, just put down the fire poker and take the baby,” I begged before he could start another back and forth with the maniac holding a knife up to my neck. “We volunteered to go. The only thing left for you to do is save theinnocent childwho never asked to be here.”
“So what will it be, Defender?” the Pirate asked Alban. “The she-wolves who have already volunteered to go with us? Or the baby?”
Alban spent several seconds looking completely torn. But in the end, he lowered the poker and said, “Aye, give her to me, then.”
There came the relief of handing the sleeping baby over to amuch worthier protector.
Then the terror of knowing Sadie and me most definitely weren't…
“Alright, enough of this drama,” the Pirate said, bringing Sadie to stand next to me as Alban backed out of the room with Ellie. “We’ve a mission to carry out.”
“Ye’re going to need both our jabbers for sure to know the potential is out,” Bear Hood said. “Here take mine. I’ve got some other stuff to give to our banríon.”
Banreen. I both wondered and was afraid to know what that meant as I felt Bear Hood’s free hand fumbling behind me.
Sadie whimpered when he handed the Pirate a huge needle filled to its highest point with some clearliquid.
Oh God, she was so afraid, and unlike, the Scottish Wolves, neither of us had any inkling about how to “find our wolves” outside of a full moon.
But Sadie’s terror helped me regulate my own fear.
“It’ll be alright. Everything will be alright,” I vowed to her. “No matter what happens, we’ll be all right, and I’ll figure out how to get us out of this.”
Then a hand covered my mouth with a cloth that filled my nose with a terrible chemical smell and turned my world to black.
Naomi
I was put to sleep,and then… I jerked awake in a sea of cornflower blue.
"What's happening?" a voice asked in the distance. It sounded like Amanda's. "Where are we?"
Good question.
I sniffed, my nose leading the investigation while my eyes adjusted to the low light. Salt… brine… living fish… oil… metal… and… Wölfennites — so many, I could tell we must all be packed into a tight space.
My hand immediately went to the large pocket in my dress. It was empty. No forbidden phone to be found, even if I could find a WiFi signal… wherever we were.
I suddenly noticed a strange swaying sensation that didn't appear to originate from my head. Were we…?
