THE SHIELD AND THE SWORD

Chapter 7 - THE ESCAPE & NEW FRIENDS

Asteria

As I sit here and watch the sunset, looking over the beautiful smoky mountains of Tennessee. I think back to the night that we escaped.

Flashback to two years ago

Mom and I don’t go outside this evening. We both showered, and she told me to put on my yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt and get my tennis shoes on. She will braid my hair after I’m done to keep it out of my eyes. I do as I’m told and then find her in her room. We’re both excited and very nervous. You can feel it in the air.

We go down to the basement, which is empty, except for a few pieces of old furniture we moved to the walls so we would have room to train. Once we ensure no signs of us training here, Mom grabs the money from the rafters.

We go upstairs, turning off the lights except for a small one in the kitchen. We sat at our small table in the corner. She pulls out the deck of cards, and we quietly play and wait.

I’m getting so tired. However, I know I can’t go to sleep. Suddenly, in the quiet of the night, we hear yelling and running, and we know people are shifting. Mom stands up and takes my hand, and we stand behind the back door, waiting.

After a few minutes, all the yelling is in the distance. We then hear a loud scratch on the door. She opens it while pushing me behind her, and we see a giant brown wolf. I know it’s Thomas.

Mom and I clasp hands. She helps me up on top of his huge wolf. I lean forward, throw my arms around his neck, and close my eyes. I hear shifting, I look back, and there's a beautiful black wolf.

Next thing, I know we are running fast. We make it to the tree line, and I have to turn my face down to Thomas’s fur so limbs from trees aren’t hitting me in the face.

I squeeze with my arms and hold on tight with my thighs and legs, so I don’t fall. When I peek one eye open, I see flames in the distance. That must be what Thomas meant by a distraction. They run what feels like forever.

We finally come to a break in the trees, and my fingers and arms are aching from holding on. Thomas lays down on the ground, and I slide off. He runs over to what looks like a bunch of brush and starts throwing limbs off.

To my surprise, there is an old pickup truck there. Thomas jerks the door open and pulls out a T-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and some flip-flops.

Mom quickly takes them in her mouth and runs behind the truck to shift. Thomas tells me to get in and slide over.

He runs around the other side of the truck and jumps in behind the steering wheel. The next thing I know, Mom gets in on the other side of me. They’re both shutting the doors, and the truck is starting.

After about an hour or so, Mom asks Thomas where we’re heading. He explained that after we talked to him, he got a brief visit from Selene himself. Telling him we all had to leave as soon as possible. For us all to drive straight through to Tennessee.

Once we got there, we would meet a woman who would ask for our help, but really, she was there to help us.

I must’ve gone to sleep while they were talking. When I woke up, although it was still dark, I could tell by the sky that it was almost sunrise.

“We need to stop for gas. If you need to use the restroom, go ahead,” Thomas says. Mom and I got out and went around the side of the gas station to find the bathroom. A beautiful young woman was coming out. She was about 18.

Mom and I went in and used the restroom. When we came out, she was still standing about 5 feet away from the door.

She quickly approached us and asked where we were heading and if she could get a ride. I looked at Mom, and she looked at me. I thought of what Thomas said in the truck that Selena told him. We would meet someone along the way who would ask for help, but she was there to help us.

I looked at her confidently and said, “We’re going to a new home. You are welcome to tag along if you like.” Mom squeezed my hand and looked worriedly at me. But I knew I could trust Selene. “My name is Jasmine, and yes, I would like to come.”

She followed us back to the truck, and I introduced her to Thomas. To say he was shocked was an understatement. I giggled to myself. “We can trust her,” Akira said. “She holds great power and will be strong. I think she needs us, too.” I replied to Akira. She nodded in my mind, agreeing. When I looked back at Thomas, he seemed confused and concerned. I just shrugged and told him what conclusions Akira and I had reached.

He looked a bit surprised, and so did Jasmine. We all got in the truck, and I looked at Jasmine. “So, Jasmine, where were you headed?” “To find you,” she replied with a smile.

As we drove down the road, she explained that Hecate had come to her in a dreamscape, showing images of us escaping the pack. The goddess told her our destinies were intertwined, and we needed each other.

She unlocked one of Jasmine's gifts, conjuring, as we would all need it the most. Then, she told her where to find us and deliver a message.

“What’s the message?” I ask. “That others will be drawn to you—those needing help or sanctuary. Let Akira guide you until you get your powers.” “I am confused, though, Asteria.” “What about Jasmine,” I asked. “Well, I can sense you are a wolf. Wolves don’t have powers, to my knowledge.” I giggled at her.

“Well, Jasmine, I'm not exactly a wolf. Akira, who is my counterpart, is a lycan—the first ever female lycan from old. However, Selene has explained in Dreamscape that I have an important destiny. So I guess it’s possible one day she could give me powers.”

“Akira, are you there?” I ask her. “Yes, asteria, I'm always with you,” she replies. “If others who need help are drawn to me, will we need a massive home?” “Yes, my dear, you are correct.” She replied. She didn’t just say wolves. “Well, Asteria Jasmine is a witch. Others may be of different species also.”

“Ok, Akira, you're right. Where should we go to create this safe place for everyone? It will need to be big enough for everyone to train, live, and still have enough room to feel free.” “You're right, dear girl,” she replied. “Ask Jasmine more about her gift.”

I turned to Jasmine, asking her details about how conjuring worked. She explained that she could create or conjure a copy of anything she saw. “Humm. Is there a size limitation on these things?” I ask. “No,” she replied. “I have a bright idea then,” I exclaimed loudly. Everyone looked at me.

After I explained my idea to everyone in detail of how we should head deep into the smoky mountains since we were in Tennessee, we would be away from everything and have privacy. Also, since Jasmine can conjure, we would have shelter. Everyone got quiet and thoughtful.

Thomas, who had been quiet through most of this, chimed in. He agreed it was a great idea if Jasmine could deliver. She laughed and assured him she could.

He had Mom pull the old map out of the glove compartment and open it so we could all look at it. I immediately felt drawn to a lush green area on the map close to Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Thomas said it looked great as long as we settled far away from the park.

End of flashback

So here I am, two years later, enjoying my evening after training. What a great two years it’s been. Training, school, and we have a vast mountain lodge nestled in a large clearing with mountains surrounding us. Jasmine and I are more like sisters now. My mother is so carefree and loves to garden.

Thomas spends his days training us. Life is finally good. I do wonder, though, when the others will come. Do I need to go in search of them once I am old enough? Who is the boy I keep seeing in my dreams training like me?