Chapter Six

Ellie

The moment we crossed the river, it was clear Zagan wasn’t going to follow. The last time I glanced back, he was retreating in the opposite direction.

I let out a heavy sigh, a mix of relief and anxiety. We were stepping into the unknown, and as rogues, we were far from welcome.

During our forced training, I’d overheard the guards and warriors whispering about rogues. None of it was good.

We moved away from the river, venturing into a cluster of trees. We wanted to keep our distance from the water, just in case Zagan sent someone after us.

He was known for making others do his dirty work.

The trees here were less dense than in Zagan’s territory, or even Gabriel’s, from what I could recall of our journey from the human side.

As we navigated through the trees, I spotted a fallen tree trunk.

“Let’s take a break,” I suggested.

Sammy agreed.

We were both worn out and hurting. The last meal we had was two days ago. We were usually fed once a day, typically at night.

“Let me check your back, Sammy. Then you can check mine.”

Sammy turned his back to me. His cuts were still fresh, so I tore up what was left of his shirt and bandaged him up. Then it was my turn.

I just hoped the river water wasn’t too dirty. Infections were the last thing we needed.

It would be just my luck to escape from Zagan’s nightmare, only to die from an infection. Hopefully, now that we were free from the Wolfsbane, our wolves would return.

And then we could start healing.

“We should look for food and a place to rest,” I said, after we’d rested on the tree trunk for a while, “hopefully our wolves will return soon, and we can start healing.”

Sammy looked at me, fear in his eyes.

“About that...when we find shelter, I need you to tie me up.”

I frowned, “Why would I tie you up, Sammy? That’s crazy.”

Sammy bit his lower lip.

“Ellie...When the Wolfsbane wears off, when my wolf returns...I don’t know if I can control him. I don’t want to hurt you.”

I shook my head, “He won’t...I’ll help you.”

Sammy closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.

“You can’t, Ellie. You won’t be able to. The only time he backed off was when Zagan gave him an Alpha command, and that was after I’d been blooded into his pack.

“We don’t have a pack anymore. Without a pack, he’ll be even more uncontrollable. So will your wolf. That’s why rogues are so dangerous.”

I shook my head.

“Not all rogues, Sammy. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to attack together. How do they do that if they’re dangerous?” I asked.

Sammy scratched his head, his brow furrowed.

“There was this kid at school, his dad was a warrior in Uncle Gabriel’s pack. He said he overheard his dad talking about rogues banding together, like a traveling pack.

“Like a clan. They could mind-link each other. Maybe we could try that.”

I smiled and nodded. I scanned the ground, looking for something sharp. Then I spotted a sharp stone.

I walked over and picked it up.

“What are you doing?” Sammy asked.

I held it up between my thumb and forefinger.

“We need to blood each other in, form a clan...you and me, brother and sister,” I explained.

Sammy’s eyes widened.

“You think it’ll work?”

I shrugged, “We’ve got nothing to lose. Besides, when I got blooded into Gabriel’s pack, it woke my wolf.”

Sammy rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have Wolfsbane in you then.”

I nodded, “Yes, I did.”

Sammy frowned, “How…?”

I shook my head, “I’ll tell you about it someday, just not today.”

My voice wavered slightly.

I quickly wiped my eyes, brushing away the tear that threatened to fall. Now wasn’t the time for tears. If I needed to cry, I would do it later. Now, I needed to be strong.

Strong enough for Nix to stop Sammy’s wolf. Strong enough to give him an Alpha command.

“Hold out your hand, Sammy,” I urged.

I held his wrist and dug the sharp edge of the stone into his palm.

“Ow,” he complained.

I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve just been whipped, and you're complaining about a little scratch on your hand.”

Sammy grinned. It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from him since I’d been taken.

I jabbed the stone into my own hand until blood bubbled up from the cut.

I grabbed Sammy’s hand and held it so our blood mingled.

I furrowed my brow. We should say something.

“I welcome Sammy to the...brother-sister clan. Blood brother...Blood sister.”

I nodded to Sammy. He smiled again.

“Blood brother...blood sister,” he echoed.

I looked at Sammy. “Did you feel anything?”

Sammy shook his head. “Maybe it doesn’t work that way.”

I shrugged. “Let's find some food, berries or fruit or something. Then we’ll look for shelter.”

I pulled Sammy to his feet, still holding his hand in mine.

It was probably nothing, but he did feel like a brother to me now. I kind of hoped it would work, but then I’d hoped that Gabriel would rescue us, and that never happened.

We continued heading west. As long as we stayed on this side of the river, we would be okay.

Once we emerged from the forest, we found ourselves in a sprawling open field. Deer and rabbits were scattered about, but they darted away as soon as they spotted us. To the north, a towering mountain range stretched out, its snow-capped peaks visible even from this distance. To the south, a vast body of water shimmered under the sunlight.

“This is all one territory, isn’t it?” I asked Sammy.

He nodded. “Seems like it. Maybe being rogues here, avoiding the pack, won’t be as tough as we thought.”

I nodded back, hopeful. Maybe our luck was finally turning around. We’d managed to escape Zagan’s grasp, and with a little more luck, we might just survive.

Sammy pointed to a cluster of bushes. “Look, blackberries,” he said, his voice filled with excitement.

I’d never seen blackberries before. I sighed, remembering the first time Sammy had called me stupid.

Sammy frowned. “What’s wrong? You’ll love them, they’re delicious.”

I shrugged. “I just don’t know anything. I wouldn’t even know if they were poisonous.”

Sammy sighed, as if he could read my thoughts.

“I know it’s not your fault,” he said, pausing for a moment, “all the times I was mean, it wasn’t me...it was Soren.”

“Soren is your wolf?” I asked.

Sammy nodded.

“I hate him,” he muttered, tears welling up in his eyes.

I looked away. What could I say? He shouldn’t hate his wolf, it was part of him. But if it hadn’t been for his wolf, we probably wouldn’t be here.

I squeezed Sammy’s hand.

“Don’t hate him, maybe just try to understand him,” I suggested, as we walked towards the blackberry bush.

The bush didn’t have enough blackberries to fill us up, but then again, I hadn’t been full for two years. We ate enough to dull the hunger pangs.

I wanted to eat more, but Sammy warned that too many could make us sick. We decided to come back later, after we had found some shelter.

We headed towards a rocky outcrop. Sammy thought there might be a cave or something. When night fell, it would get cold, and we had no shirts.

Just the shorts we were wearing, and the strips of fabric we had used for bandages.

We had no shoes either, and although I hadn’t mentioned it, my feet were sore. Running through the forest had left me with a few cuts and scratches.

Nothing like my back but still, I wanted to rest. I figured Sammy felt the same.

As we walked, I felt a strange pressure in my head.

“Hold on a second, Sammy,” I said.

Sammy stopped, and I let go of his hand.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. It was difficult. My mind felt foggy. It was like I was searching for something. I could sense it, feel it, but I couldn’t see it.

I called out in my mind.

Nix...Nix...are you there?

I was sure it was her. I waited but there was no reply. I had a strong feeling that she was there though.

“Are you okay, Ellie?” Sammy asked.

I opened my eyes and nodded. I was slightly worried. If Nix was coming back, then Soren would be coming back too.

“Let's go, Sammy. Let's see if we can find some shelter.”

Sammy must have had some sort of sixth sense or maybe Soren was sending him some vibes. Either way, we found a cave.

It wasn’t much different from Zagan’s dungeon, which sent a chill down my spine. There was a small stream of water trickling down the back, pooling into a shallow basin.

I cupped my hand and tasted it. It was fresh. Maybe we could set up camp here.

“Is it okay?” Sammy asked.

I nodded, “we can probably stay here for a few days. It's not really any different from Zagan’s dungeon. We used to sleep on the ground before he gave us the mattresses.”

Sammy sat down on the cave floor and leaned against the wall. I watched him wince, his back still aching. He wrapped his arms around himself.

“I wish we had some clothes or a blanket,” he said.

I couldn’t help but agree. It was going to be cold in here, especially tonight.

“I wish we had a fire,” I added.

Sammy looked at me and smiled, “I know how to make one, we just need some wood.”

I smiled back, “let's rest a bit first. It's still early, we have plenty of time.”

Sammy nodded and closed his eyes.

I laid down on the cold floor. It had been a while since I had to sleep on the stone floor of the dungeon, but I would survive. I used my arm as a pillow and curled up in a ball.

I laid on my side so I wouldn’t aggravate the wounds on my back. It didn’t take long before I drifted off to sleep.

Ellie...Ellie, you need to wake up.

The voice in my head was insistent, it was just a dream. I wanted to sleep. Wait...Since when did dreams wake you up, and I knew that voice. Nix.

Nix...are you there?

I forced myself to wake up.

Hurry Ellie, it’s Samuel, you're in danger.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I realized, Nix hadn’t seen Sammy since he tried to poison us.

It’s okay Nix, it was his wolf, not Sammy. He wouldn’t hurt me.

I opened my eyes and looked across to where Sammy had been sleeping.

He wasn’t sleeping now, he was standing up, his arms folded, sneering at me.

This wasn’t the Sammy I knew, the Sammy who I’d spent the last two years with. This was his wolf. This was Soren.

“Give Sammy back control, Soren,” I growled.

He narrowed his eyes, “Why, I like being in control.”

I narrowed my eyes, “Give him back control, or I’ll make you.”

He rolled his eyes, “You won’t make me do anything, especially not if you're dead.”

Sammy or rather Soren took a step towards me.

Nix...I need you to give Soren an Alpha command. I need you to command him to give control back to Sammy...I mean Samuel, and never take it back unless Samuel allows it.

I let Nix take the reins. I knew I could count on her. We were a team, after all. I just wished Sammy had the same kind of bond with his wolf.

The voice that echoed from my lips was unfamiliar. I’d never heard Nix speak through me before.

“Soren,” she growled, “You will return control to Samuel now, and you won’t seize it again unless he allows it.”

Her voice, my voice, bounced off the cave walls. Sammy froze in his tracks. His eyes shifted color. I hadn’t noticed the difference before.

Soren’s eyes weren’t black, but a deep, dark brown, while Sammy’s were a lighter shade.

Sammy gasped, “Y...you did it,” he stuttered, realizing that Nix was in charge.

“A...are you going to let Ellie take over again?” he asked.

I felt my head nod, even though I wasn’t the one controlling it. Then, all of a sudden, I was. Nix had returned control to me. I knew she would.

I hurried over to Sammy, “Are you okay?”

He nodded, swallowing hard, “I am now. I can feel him, but he’s not trying to suppress me. He’s not very pleased, though.”

I shrugged, “I’m sure he’ll get over it.”

I glanced outside the cave. The sun was starting to set.

“We should gather some wood if we want to make a fire,” I suggested.

Sammy nodded. He shot me a sideways glance, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m still the same person, Sammy. It’s just that I have an Alpha wolf.”

Sammy smiled, “Yeah, I know. It's just that she’s scary as hell,” he chuckled.

I smiled back. To me, she wasn’t scary. She was like my best friend, and I was relieved to have her back.