Chapter 32

Janet

It has been nearly seven months since we lost Davik and I still have not gotten over it. The others feel the same deep loss, though I think that Lillian has been hit the hardest. She had known him, cared for him longer than any of us. Still, the pain was as raw and deep as it had been the night he died. The love of my life gave his life to restore peace to my homeland. Each day, as we get closer to Int’samba, I wonder if that sacrifice was worth what was lost to me, the others and to the eight children he left behind.

I can easily recall his final moments as I saw them that night. The eight of us were racing towards the lookout tower where Voguel and Davik were fighting. As Davik had described to his opponent, I had indeed woken up and through the bond found out it was Baras who was our hidden adversary all along. Making sure everyone was okay, we relayed the news to the Dran, as well as the plan Voguel laid out for Davik, before heading to try and help him.

We could not use our enhanced speed and strength due to the large crowd and even Lillian was finding it difficult to weave her way through the various people walking and dancing around us. Even our combat awareness was not enough to speed our travel towards the tower. Every minute it took us to get closer was another minute my fear and desperation increased. I could sense what was going on in the fight and it was not looking good for Davik.

When the sound of glass shattering pierced the noise of celebration, everyone looked up to see Davik and Baras falling into one of the huge bonfires below. Everyone screamed, but the loudest came from us as we watched him plummet into the flames and listened to his cries of anguish. Immediately, soldiers, people and even children were rushing to get water to douse the flames. Normally, a bonfire like this would burn for days before it would finally go out. Now, you had hundreds of people rushing to try and put it out.

After a few minutes, his and Voguel’s screams ceased and I no longer felt him in the bond. I collapsed to the ground in anguish, joined by the others. People rushed over to help us and get us to a nearby table to rest. Valentia came to watch over us and made sure the stress of our pain was not having dire effects on our babies. Given the size of the bonfire, it would be futile to try and put it out. The heat would evaporate most of the water. Even if there were a way to douse the flames, it could take many hours. By that time, their bodies would be either reduced to bones or ash. We all wept and cursed Phaltina for starting all this in the first place.

Resigned to our loss, we begged our leave of the festivities and told the Dran we would be returning to our room at the inn. No one said anything as we made the long walk; we were too wrapped up in our thoughts. Since we arrived in Vishant, we shared our thoughts and feelings with one another. Shared dreamscapes became routine and gave us more time with one another. We grew stronger and more able with Davik’s influence. We became better people and the loss was devastating. We all felt emotionally diminished, but more so

because our abilities now seemed to be nearly nonexistent.

Davik had been the core of the Ostregal, the focal point from which we originated. Though Lillian and the others became bonded through me, Davik was still at the core of it all and it was his energy that fueled us. With that wellspring gone, we felt hollow and less than we were before. We could no longer speak to one another as we did through the bond and I could only pick up the most basic of emotions.

Feeling so drained, we made our way to our beds, hoping to find some comfort in our dreams but we were certain we would not find any. For the first time since we had bonded to Davik, no one slept in pairs. Even Lillian decided to sleep on the floor by the door instead of opting to change back to her human self. Sleep did not come easy to any of us, as his last moments kept replaying in our minds over and over again.

For the first time in months, we did not enter a dreamscape. Part of me wished that we would have somehow seen Davik there and that we would be given the chance to say goodbye. Even a chance to go there one last time, even if it were only to grieve together would have been welcome. Instead, my dreams were nightmares. In them, I watched Davik fall into the flames and die in agony, only for Voguel to walk out unharmed. His burnt form standing triumphantly in front of the bonfire, before lashing out at everyone.

I woke up in a cold sweat and glad that that nightmare was over. As I looked around, I could see the others were in the throes of various forms of nightmares themselves. Their bodies were jerking in response to what they were experiencing and often whines, groans and whimpers would escape their lips. I shook my head in sadness and glanced over to check on Lillian. I was shocked to see her naked human form lying on the floor. She never reverted like that, even in her sleep. I walked over and attempted to pick her up but found that I no longer had access to any of my abilities.

Upon further inspection I found that I had none of any kind. I was now as I had been before I had crossed paths with Davik. I gently woke Lillian by shaking her shoulder. I did get momentarily distracted by the swaying of her large, full breasts but refocused on my task.

“Ugh, hey ... Janet,” Lillian said with a sleepy smile. “What time is it? I thought we were not going to be getting up early?”

I smiled and said, “Sorry, love, but something big has happened and I needed to talk to you. I think that the curse has been permanently lifted. I have no abilities at all, anymore, as well as the fact I woke up to find you asleep in your human form. You never change back in your sleep, so I needed to find out if you had changed back while I had been sleeping.”

Lillian became more aware and started to get up off the floor. I watched as her eyes looked off in the distance and she attempted repeatedly to focus on something. Each time nothing happened, and I saw her become both surprised and slightly frustrated.

“I am cured,” Lillian said with a barely audible whisper. “I cannot change into a wolf, no matter how hard I try. I cannot find her inside me, nor does she answer me.”

I hugged her to me, and we cried together. It was over for good and we were all finally free. This should have been a cause for celebration. Happiness, joy, and relief should be coursing through each of us. Instead, we only felt pain, misery, and loss.

Over the next few days we waited for the fire to go out. When it finally did, there was truly little left of either of them. I collected a bag full of ash and placed it in our goods along with Celka’s. It was a somber occasion as the Dran held a memorial service for our lost love. Various people who interacted with Davik stood up to say something, though they were not his friends or loved ones. We were asked to say something, but we refused, citing that we would save that for his funeral back home.

With nothing left to do, we focused on the wagons and the coming babies. The Dran covered the cost of our stay at the inn, as well as the wagon we had commissioned. Two weeks later, the whole town stood outside to watch the moon rise. While we believed the curse was finally broken, this would be the final confirmation. We watched in silence as the moon rose past the wall of the city, casting the streets in its white glow. Cheers erupted from the entire capital. There was a feast to celebrate our freedom from the curse, but we decided to stay in.

The wagon was completed just around the time I finally gave birth a month and a half later. He was a strong and gorgeous little boy, just as his father was. I was tempted to name him after Davik, but something told me it would not be correct. Instead I named him Trent, after the friend lost in Davik’s fight with Brenson. He had his father’s eyes and hair color but had my complexion. We all wept, knowing that Davik should have been here to share this with us. Over the next month, seven more bundles of joy were welcomed into the world.

Faye had a little girl who she decided to name Violet. While her namesake had turned out to be a disturbed and angry young woman, she still had been Davik’s childhood friend and he had missed her dearly, despite what she had done. Like her namesake, this one was quick to temper and very vocal when she wanted something. She filled us all with great joy.

Cherish had a little boy we decided to call Stevan, after Davik’s father. He was quiet most of the time, but when he cooed as he looked at you with his big eyes, your heart could not help but melt. He was also a greedy eater who gladly suckled at a breast as often as he could, much like his father.

Ingrid had a little girl, who we decided to name Ivy, after Davik’s mother. Given that her mother looked a lot like Aphronia, we found her completion and hair color matched quite well. We were not sure how Ivy, the young girl we rescued from Brenson, would take it, but we were confident she would be happy to share the name.

Irenia had a girl, who we named Gwen after our friend who lost her life in this crusade for justice. Irenia had been close with her, so it seemed only fitting that she would be the one to use that name. Ingrid often played with Gwen when she could, ensuring she was never starved for attention as Gwen had been.

Kayla had a little girl who she named Celka, after our lost friend. Celka was a mentor to Kayla and we knew Davik had grown to bond with her before her death. Lillian was overjoyed to know her elder aunt’s name would live on in our family. She always had Celka with her any time she gathered or worked with herbs, hoping it would spark an interest in the little one when she got older.

Elsie had a young girl who she named Elinia, after the last friend we lost to Voguel. She was quiet but always curious and looking around when she was awake. We had a feeling she would be one to want to learn and much as she could about the world and its history.

Lastly Lillian had a little girl as well. She was named Liriana, after Lillian’s mother. We all wished we had gotten to meet her mother and thank her for raising such an amazing young woman. She looked equally as beautiful as her mother and seemed to have a wildness to her at times. We would joke that her wolf did not leave, only became one with her daughter to help make her strong and to protect her as it once did Lillian.

All of them were energetic and strong like their father. We waited two months for the babies to grow and allow us time to recuperate before heading back out on the road again. Lillian found it odd not to be a wolf anymore and she continually mentioned how much she missed it. Despite the lack of threat, we still train and hunt as we did when we traveled with Davik. He would want us to stay sharp and well fed for our babies.