Chapter 5

The village was a complete disaster. No one had survived the explosion, nor had the grasslands even been remotely prepared to battle the fire. It was named Ashland, though the whispers kept saying Deadland.

Skal snorted, his tiger now a gray color from all the debris around him. He knew Korynn and Tjorvi were going, but he never believed they’d walk into a trap. Shifters were made of strong stuff, but an explosion was pushing that limit. Why would the village be stockpiling explosives? Trading for women perhaps and someone just set it off.

He could have sworn he had seen them escape the blast, but then their trail went cold. The ash and fire cloaked even the smallest scents leaving him standing paw deep in burned grass and death.

Where are you Korynn? His tiger insisted they were both alive, though no one could have survived that destruction. He saw and felt it, was even knocked off his feet by it.

“Brother!” Skal flinched at the mental barrage, though who would come out here into this after him was a mystery. But to be able to talk to him? No one could do that except his parents and his future mate.

“Who?” Over the choking ash a woman in a cloak appeared standing at the edge of the forest, her hand on a smaller tiger like his own. His beast recognized the other, but his parents had no other children.

“I’m Grith, your real brother. Korynn’s real mother foresaw this.” Skal bristled, staring down the other tiger and the cloaked woman though neither made a move to attack. Grith shifted back to a man, one who would be the same age as Korynn. Their father stared back at Skal, the resemblance near forcing him free of his tiger.

“She’s gone to the other time, brother of my daughter. Her mate has gone with her, like I have foreseen. They’re safe, though I was too late to stop this from happening.” Grith hugged the woman who pushed her hood back, leaning into his arm as Korynn’s green eyes stared his tiger down.

“It’s okay ma, she’ll come back after she fixes what they’ve called her away for.