THE SHIELD AND THE SWORD

Chapter 5 - NEW INFORMATION

As Mom and I make our way back into the house to go to bed for the night, I talk to Akira. “Since Thomas will be here tomorrow, but he is not supposed to be talking to us, just delivering groceries and picking up the trash, how will we tell him everything?” She is quiet for a minute and then replies. “I can communicate with anyone, so I will tell his wolf everything we know. Your mother would have to find a way to tell him her part.”

“How is that possible, Akira? We aren’t part of this pack, so how can you talk to his wolf?” I ask. “I am special, my dear. I can speak to any wolf, no matter the pack. I can also hear them when they are talking to others, but we will discuss my abilities another time. At the same time, I explain this to your mother’s wolf. Why don’t you explain it to your mother?”

I stop walking and look up to Mom and tell her about my conversation with Akira. My mom’s eyes widen, and she whispers, “She can talk to anyone.” “Yes,” I say. “OK, wait until he brings the bags of groceries into the kitchen and have her tell him everything in your dream. I will find a way to tell him everything in my warning.” “Alright, Mom, good night.”

When I woke up the following day, I heard mom and downstairs making breakfast. I quickly do my morning routine and get dressed. I start helping with breakfast and set the table when there is a knock at the door. I know it’s Thomas because he knocks, but Raymond does not. I sit down at the table quietly and watch. I fear that because other warriors could’ve seen him come to the house, they may be listening more closely, so I don’t want to say anything.

Mom and Thomas walk into the kitchen, neither saying a word, just sneaking glances at each other. So I told Akira to go ahead and tell his wolf everything. I watch as he pulls groceries out of the bags, and suddenly he stops. He turns and looks at me with wide eyes, and I shake my head no and continue looking at them. He understands and doesn’t say anything. He continues to listen to Akira and his wolf.

He turns back around, grabs the bags, and mother takes his arm and slips a note into his hand. It’s small, and I barely saw it. He gives a slight nod and heads out the door. I sit looking at Mama for a minute. I’m sure there are questions in my eyes, but I say nothing. I helped her put a few groceries away, and we ate breakfast.

After we clean up, she takes me by the hand, and we start walking upstairs. Once we get to her room, she shuts the door and sings gently to me. I’m confused for a moment until I hear Akira explaining to me that Mother's wolf is talking to her. After this song was over, Akira explained to me that Mom got up this morning and wrote down everything in her warning on a small piece of paper. That’s what she gave to Thomas. Hopefully, he destroys it after reading it.

She takes me by the hand again, and we head to the basement. She quietly explained that my schoolwork could always be caught up. She believes until we execute the plan, we need to train. I hear Akira chime in my head. “I agree.”

Suddenly, Mom lunges towards me out of nowhere and starts swinging and jabbing, doing combinations of three punches together in a row. I’m able to dodge the first two but get hit in the side with the third. Akira tells me to concentrate and watch her body and follow my instincts, and she will help me. The next thing I knew, a power flew through me, and I was moving faster than even my own eyes could keep up with, but Mother seemed to be moving slower.

After several hours of sparring and Mom showing me some new techniques, I am drenched in sweat. She hugs me and tells me how proud she is of me and Akira.

I can’t help the glowing smile that stretches across my face. “Thank you, Akira.” “For what, Asteria?” She asked. “For being my lycan. I’ve always had Mom, but having you with me, too, means so much.” “You’re welcome, sweet girl.”

I head to my bathroom, get cleaned up, go to my room, and lay on the bed. As I stare at the ceiling, I am both excited about the plan and the chance to get out of here and full of hope that Mom will have a better life. It’s then I realized that no matter what the plan is, no matter what destiny holds, we have each other.

That evening, we ate supper and cleaned up the dishes. It’s not quite sunset yet, so we wait quietly. It’s as if we're seeing if something is going to happen.

The next thing I know, there is a tapping on the back door. Our eyes widen, but Mom gets up and opens the door. It’s Thomas. He points to some weeds that are near our cabin. He firmly states the gardener won’t be coming by till next week to get those cleaned up. He turns and walks away. Mom looks at me funny, steps outside, kneels, and pulls the weeds near the door. When she came back about 15 minutes later, she had a slight smile on her face.

My eyebrows draw together, quietly asking what’s happening, and she nods towards the stairs. Once we reach her room, she unfolds the paper tucked in her hand. It was so small I couldn’t even see it after she read it slowly, what appeared to be twice. She reaches it to me.

It reads, “Tomorrow night, don’t go to sleep. 2 AM, there will be a loud distraction. I will come to the back door away from the warrior barracks. Have Asteria, dressed with shoes on, ready to jump on my back. You, my dear friend Ruby, as soon as Asteria is on my back, must immediately shift and run behind me. Stop for nothing. Be prepared to run at full speed for 2 miles. No stopping, no brakes. You need to remove any signs from the basement you’ve been training. Take nothing but the money hidden. Please put it in one of the small, empty grocery bags and tie it around your ankle before I arrive. That way, you won’t lose it in your shift.”

A feeling of utter excitement came over me. I smiled big and looked up at Mama. She smiled back and took the note from my hand. I watched her rip it into small pieces. Then she went to the bathroom, flushing it. She sat down next to me and whispered in my ear. “Do you understand, sweet girl?” “Yes, Mom, I know. Just promise me that when Thomas takes off running with me on his back, you will stay with us. No matter what.” I say. “I swear, sweet girl.” She smiles back at me.