There was a brief murmur of conversation as the men discussed the possibility of finding the long-absent lycanthrope species.

"And humans?" Jaxon asked.

There was a long silence. Mikhail sighed. "This has been a long-running debate. Most think it is still not the time for acceptance."

"Perhaps expand our trusted circle. Cullen, Gary and Jubal certainly have proven to be more than reliable," Jacques said, naming three of their human friends. "Without Gary we wouldn't be nearly as far along in our research as we are. He works hard and keeps our hours. He also watches over the children who cannot go to ground. Mikhail has several friends in the village who have proven trustworthy time and again."

"And have we considered aligning ourselves with the community of mages? Not all of them followed Xavier, and most were abused and tortured under his rule," Nicolas added.

Immediately, at the suggestion, heated discussions broke out. Mikhail said nothing, simply let the men discuss the possibility of asking aid of other communities-ones they had protected but had been careful not to reveal themselves to.

Mikhail sat quietly, his senses flaring out to bridge with the power emanating from the forest of crystals. Each geode hummed a slightly different note and as he listened, turning his mind to the notes, he heard the quiet voices of the ancient warriors who had gone before. Each told of the old days when all the species existed in harmony. The reclusive lycanthrope, as powerful as the Carpathians in their own way, but running on a short fuse, the males every bit as protective of their females as the Carpathians, which made for a volatile situation when so many Carpathian males were unable to find lifemates among their own kind. Would an emissary be welcome if they were found? Or would he be killed to protect the lycanthrope society as a whole? Whoever he sent would be at risk.

Leadership wasn't about knowing the right thing to do, it was about making decisions and being willing to accept the responsibility that came with inevitable mistakes. If he allowed his men to reach out to the various species, he could put his people at terrible risk. Over the years the vampire myths had grown and become legends. Few would distinguish between a Carpathian and vampire. Jaguars had turned on their women.

Mikhail rubbed his eyes wearily. Their world seemed too long at war. He had so many problems trying to keep his dying species alive, yet at that moment, surrounded by his fellow warriors, his mind continually tried to reach for his lifemate and check on his child.

When the discussion looked as if it might go from heated to outright mayhem, he broke in. "Mage and Jaguar have mixed with humans and I would guess lycanthrope have done so as well over the last few centuries. Many of the shifters have diluted their blood. They carry the gene, but they no longer can shift. Shea had a human mother and a Carpathian father. We do not know whether Razvan deliberately impregnated human women or whether he was forced to do so, but we know the children carry Carpathian blood. Our species is not so far removed from any other. We have to have allies and we need to actively find them."

Mikhail's voice was quiet, but carried the weight of his absolute authority. "We cannot abandon other species to fight the vampire alone. We need to change with the times and become more open to friendship and alliances."

"The more we let into our circle, the more difficult it will be to protect our women and children," Gregori pointed out. "We are surrounded by enemies and we do not know friend from foe at this point.""Then all of us need to be trained in destroying vampires," Jaxon proposed. "It should be mandatory, so no matter where we are, we have a chance to get out alive."

"We train the male children from the time they are born now," Mikhail said quietly. "I am already passing my knowledge to my son who is in Raven's womb."

"What about your granddaughters, Mikhail?" Jaxon asked. "Is anyone teaching them?"

Gregori scowled, his silver eyes glittering with something close to a warning. "My daughters and my lifemate will never be allowed into a dangerous situation."

Destiny's eyebrow shot up. "You can't possibly know that. You can't. No one, not even you have that kind of control throughout a lifetime, especially a lifetime as long as we have. Absolutely all women and even our children should be trained in how to destroy a vampire," Destiny said. "It only makes sense."

Jaxon nodded her head. "Why should you only train the male children? Even if a woman never has to use her knowledge, she should have it. You never know when she may be attacked and males are not always by our sides."

"Why not?" Nicolas demanded. "Your lifemate and every other male whether he is attached or unattached should be with one of our women when they go anywhere. Each and every one of you, and especially our children, should have bodyguards. Ivory died because she left the safety of her family. We lost Rhiannon for the same reason. The moment Xavier closed his school to males and took only our females, we should have refused to allow them to attend."

There was a murmur of agreement in the chamber and several nodded their heads. Destiny glanced at her lifemate, clearly asking him questions. She scowled at his answers.

"You re talking about something that happened centuries ago, Nicolas. Times are different and the world is different. You can't live in the past."

"No, but we can learn from it," Nicolas said. "We lost everything by not protecting our women. Everything. We are down to thirty or so women who can maybe provide one or two lifemates for our males, if we manage to figure out what is killing our children. We cannot afford to think in terms of humans or any other species that have numerous numbers to fall back on. If they choose to forget their women and children, that's their problem, but we cannot. We have to do everything in our power to protect the few that we have."

"You can't lock up the women, Nicolas," Lucian said, "as much as we may want to."

"We could try," Dimitri, one of the single men, muttered under his breath.

Jaxon shot him a hostile look. "You can try, but I wouldn't count on it ever happening."

Gregori stirred, drawing all eyes instantly. "Destiny is correct in that our women and children should be taught how to defend themselves. But I agree with Nicolas on this point. No child and no woman should go unescorted. We have too many enemies and if we can no longer detect them, they could walk through our village and would never be aware of the danger."

Jaxon frowned. "Do you really think any grown woman is going to sit in her home waiting for an escort when she has things to do?"

"We all make sacrifices in times of need," Gregori said.

Jaxon rolled her eyes. "Then you wait in your house for one of us to come escort you. Try it for a few risings and see how you like it." She turned her head and met her lifemate's icy gaze. "If I feel like visiting a friend or relative, I'm certainly going to do it."

"Now you sound like a sulky child deliberately misunderstanding what I am saying to you," Gregori said. "No one wants to dictate to you. The reality is quite simple. We need children, not fighters, and women have babies not men. We have a surplus of fighters and very few women so the task of giving birth falls to the women."

"Really?" Destiny's eyebrow shot up. "So what I'm hearing is that Nicolae should be allowed to fight the vampire, but not me because if I get killed we lose me as a brood mare."

"That is not what I said," Gregori denied.

"That's what it sounded like to me," Jaxon said. "And if she stayed home like a good little pregnant woman, and Nicolae was killed, what do you think would happen anyway? This entire argument is ridiculous. Maybe you're looking for some sign that we should know our places in the home and stay there, but we were not born nor raised Carpathian. We have our own baggage that comes with each individual and some of us need to act. Others need to stay in the home and still others want to heal or research or carry on with whatever work interests them. And that, my friend, is our right."

"I disagree," Gregori said, his voice quiet, but carrying easily through the cave. "You are Carpathian and as such, there are certain differences in our species we cannot get around. Your first loyalty is not to yourselves, but to our people as a whole. We do what is best for all of us, not just individuals. For instance, our first duty is to the prince of our people. Without him, we cannot exist, so his protection must come first at all times. Every man, woman and child should be taught that, respect that and whole-heartedly serve."

"I think all women have proven we're willing to serve the Carpathian people," Jaxon said. "We just don't want to go back to the dark ages when men dictated to women."

Swift impatience crossed Gregori's face. "Do you honestly believe this is about male versus female? This is about saving a species, not women's rights."

"So how is it saving the species to have my lifemate go out and fight the vampire, leaving me at home to worry whether or not he's coming home? If he dies, we both do. The risk is great either way. In a perfect world, neither of us would be fighting vampires, but the world isn't so perfect, is it, Gregori? If I feel the need to stand by my lifemate and help to bring him home safe, you bet it is about my rights."

Gregori leaned close, his silver eyes slashing at Jaxon. "Why would you think, for one moment, that your presence does anything but jeopardize your lifemate's ability to fight? He is our greatest warrior. No one compares to him in battle. He has fought a thousand years, has more experience than any other, yet you, a female, once human, with so few years you are considered a child in our species, you think that he is not divided when he now battles? That his risk is lessened by your presence? It is more than doubled. He has to have one eye on you at all times. He has to keep his mind merged with yours in order to ensure your safety. Even directing you, he is divided, not wholly focused on the kill."

"Gregori," Lucian warned, his gaze going flat and cold.

Jaxon held up her hand. "No, this is why were here, isn't it? To hear both sides of this argument. I want to hear why Gregori and so many others are opposed to the women fighting the vampire. If I don't understand why he is opposed, I will never have a chance to agree with him."

Then be very careful, little brother, how you address my lifemate.

I speak the truth to her and you know it. You have a thousand times the risk when she is along. She has to understand that.

Lucian's cool gaze swept over his brother. Perhaps, but it is my risk to take.

I disagree. We cannot lose you, nor can we afford the loss of your lifemate. You have too long lived in a solitary world, going your own way and making your decisions based not on saving a dying species, but on Vlad's directive to seek and destroy the vampire. We have a new prince and a new threat that must be addressed.You are very close to getting your ass kicked, little brother.

You are more than welcome to try.

Jaxon glanced from her lifemate's cold gaze to Gregori's slashing one. "I know the two of you are arguing over this, but I really want to hear what Gregori has to say. Lucian, please."

She slipped a restraining hand up his arm in a loving gesture that made Nicolas turn his head away and long for Lara's touch.

Again he tried to reach out to her but only heard the sounds of the long-forgotten Carpathian lullaby. He turned his attention back to the discussion raging around him, but this time, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Lucian slipped his arm around Jaxon's waist, but nodded his head toward Gregori.

Gregori folded his arms across his chest. "Look at your lifemate in this moment. There is no threat to you, yet he is protective, ready to come at me if I say a word out of place to you. It is our nature, ingrained in us from before our birth, to protect our lifemate. Words and circumstance cannot change that, nor would we want it to change. Do you think this is less so in battle?

Before you, he had only strategy and his own life to think about, now he must divide his attention and watch out for you. Even with the knowledge he shares with you of battles, even with his vast experience for you to draw on, you cannot be nearly fast enough."

"Every warrior has to start somewhere," Destiny countered. "You have young men practicing. We can do the same."

"Why would you want to?" Nicolas demanded. "Why would you want to face such a monster and risk your life when it is so precious to so many?"

"I cannot stop," Destiny answered truthfully. "Perhaps if Nicolae no longer hunted, I would be able to lay it down, but in truth, I am not certain I can."

Jaxon shrugged. "I've spent my entire life hunting monsters. I don't know what else I'd do."

"If you had a child?" Mikhail's voice as always was low, but swept through the room.

The crystals hummed low, the sound more melodic and soothing as if trying to bring the two women peace.

Andre and another tall Carpathian once again made their way through the ranks of warriors. Nicolas recognized the lone warrior, Tariq Asenguard, beside Andre. Vlad had sent him out centuries before. Even then he had stayed to himself, losing his ability to see color and feel emotion quite quickly after losing his family. His mother had suffered the loss of several children and in the end his parents had chosen to follow their young ones into the next realm. Nicolas had never seen him smile after that.

Vlad had sent him to the North American continent and it was rumored he lived wild for a long time, although now he looked very civilized and would have blended with any business community.

Both Carpathian males bowed toward the women. Again it was Andre who spoke. "If one of our women wishes to go into battle and her lifemate allows such a thing..." There was a hint of scorn in his voice. "... obviously that is their decision, but knowing this is going on, when we have spent lifetimes battling the vampire and have more experience and are willing to sacrifice our lives so that even one woman will live and give us a female child, then we have no choice but to ban together and protect those female warriors. When you go into battle, look behind you, there will be a legion of warriors defending you."

Jaxon frowned. "Thank you very much, but no. I don't want anyone defending me. I have a partner. We work together. I don't want anyone putting his life on the line for me."

"If you choose battle and you believe that is your right," Tariq said, "then our surviving males who look to you and all of our women for hope have the right to see to your protection when your lifemate chooses not to do so."

Immediately pandemonium broke out. Power surged in the room and the crystals vibrated with anger as the males with lifemates turned on the warriors without.

"Enough!" Mikhail's voice was a whiplash through the room. Instantly there was silence. "What did you think our males would be feeling over this issue?" he demanded of his males with lifemates. "Even among you, the opinions are divided. Most feel very strongly one way or the other about our women putting their lives in jeopardy. Our single males have a huge stake in this discussion and their voices carry as much weight as any other man here. They have sacrificed for centuries and it is their lives- their very souls at stake."

Lucian nodded his head. "That is so." It was the closest they were going to get to an apology. "But no one will threaten or dictate to my lifemate. What we do is our decision."

"Then you are willing to divide our people?" Gregori asked. "You are willing to go against a decision our prince makes?" He threw the challenge in his brother's face, uncaring that Lucian was a legend in their community.

Before Lucian could reply, Jaxon lifted her hands to his face. "Tell me the absolute truth, Lucian. When I go with you on a hunt, is your attention divided as Gregori says? Are you more at risk?" She refused to let him look away from her, her gaze on his.

"It is my risk to take."

Jaxon took a deep breath and let it out. "You should have told me."

"To what purpose? You cannot sit at home. If you could, I would have commanded you long ago, but your nature demands you be actively seeking justice." He pulled her close to him, his large body protective. "I have every confidence in my ability to protect both of our lives, or I would never risk you." He sent his brother a cool, razor-sharp glare. "There was no need to hurt you with what others consider their truth."

"Truth is truth, Lucian," Jaxon said.

Mikhail studied the couple. "You have need of action and to aid the men in ridding the world of the monsters we face. I have need of women willing to be taught, to learn to fight and then to teach our women and daughters. We need women willing to guard other women and be the first line of defense should the battle be brought to our doors. Perhaps this is something you would be willing to consider. If not..." He directed his gaze at Andre and Tariq. "Then I believe you will not be facing the vampire alone in battle-ever."

Chapter 15.

The women moved quickly but calmly to prepare the chamber for the new ceremony, the most important ritual they might ever perform. Several women took bundles of sage, lit them, and began to walk from back to front through the chamber, along the wall, chanting low, asking to cleanse and bless with only positive energy, reaching as high as possible and then crisscrossing the room as they repeated the chant. The smoke drifted through the cavern and when they were done, they added the bundles of sage to the hot rocks lining the back wall.

Four of the Carpathian women braided sweet grass already soaked in water, in long ropes, binding their intent into the ropes, chanting softly their intentions of attracting energy to help aid Lara in her shamanic journey.

Francesca had already prepared potent-water beneath the full moon and she now gave it to both Savannah and Raven to drink.

She had cleansed several good-sized rose quartz under running water and then placed them in a bowl of water covered with cheesecloth under the full moon. The rose quartz was the mother stone and often used to effect change and open the heart.

Previous Top NextShe took the smoothest stones of rose quartz and ametrine from the pouch and gave them to Raven and Savannah to hold in their hands and rub while the ceremony took place. Next she took braided cowrie shells and placed them around both pregnant women's necks, another call to energy. She scattered rosebuds over the rich soil and added pomegranate to aid in the ceremony of renewed life.

Once Francesca had prepared Savannah and Raven, she took up a small drum, hand painted with a map of the shadow world and various animals of power and wisdom. She took a soft mallet and began to thump in a monotonous beat, using the rhythm of the women's collective hearts.

Lara seated herself close to Raven and Savannah, forming a triangle, while around them, the other Carpathian women formed a tight circle. Now, braids of sweet grass and copal tree resin were added to the smoking sage on the hot rocks along with herbs so that the room surrounded them with the scents of nature. Lara inhaled the scent, allowing the fragrance to carry her jitters away.

This was the most important task she might ever accomplish and she had nearly ended her own life. Had she succeeded, how many children would be lost? She felt she had been put on earth to fulfill this moment, to make this journey and save the three children. Xavier had destroyed so many lives and she was determined that he would not take these women and children as he had so many others.

Rubbing her fingers over a clear quartz crystal for clarity and focus, she pushed all thoughts away and allowed the waves in her mind to come and go and then recede altogether until her mind was a calm body of water, lapping at the edges relentlessly, ready to expand.

In her calm state, she sifted through her memories, long forgotten, and found the faint tracks of mage. She followed the path until she could open the door she needed. Dragonseeker blood might flow through her veins, but she was mage-her mother from a pure line. The mystic ran strong in her and everything she had been taught by the aunts was ready to feed her instincts should she need aid. This underground chamber the ancient women had instinctively chosen to use for their rituals was a place of power where the physical world merged with the spiritual realm. She felt the energy flowing into her, heard the rhythmic sound of a drum and the distant feminine voices chanting. The melodic notes carried her deeper into another sphere.

Smoke filled her vision. Clouds of mist and fog drifted in the smoke. She inhaled sharply, drawing the smoke and air into her lungs, as she set her soul free to travel. She found herself at the border of the two worlds, the chamber where she sat composed and tranquil, at the first stage of travel.

As her vision cleared, she could see a large tree with a labyrinth of roots and a jungle of wide-reaching branches standing before her. Mist of varying colors swirled through and around the branches. Leaves rustled as if alive, silvery green in color, fluttering in the soft breeze. The wind was just strong enough to stir the mist, not dislodge it, so that the she caught glimpses of the thick twisting trunk, leading upward toward the sky and down beneath the soil.

Lara concentrated on the tree. The trunk appeared quite old, grayish in color. There were a few dark knots in the trunk and branches and one or two places where it may have lost a limb over time, but the tree appeared healthy. She continued moving over the ever-expanding meadow toward the tree, her bare feet skimming the fresh grass. As she moved across the field, flowers sprang up under the soles of her feet as if she scattered seeds along the fertile ground. The closer she got to the tree, the more missing branches she spotted, and beneath the tree, held within the cage of roots, old dead limbs lay like broken bodies in a mass grave.

As she approached the tree of life, she heard voices crying out, the sound of weeping, and she felt wet drops on her upturned face. Tears rained down on her, the tears of ancient women who had gone before, losing child after child to the unknown killer.

The tears splashed on the ground to form a stream, each tear merging with another until the stream became a river.

Lara waded through the rising water to get to the wide, thick trunk so she could examine it up close. Faint, shallow marks were burned into the trunk leading up toward the branches where new life waited. Raven's son. Savannah's two daughters. Their souls clung to the gently rocking limbs far above her. She could see the two branches were blackened and hollow, twisted from some disease. Above them were several other brand-new souls as well, clinging to relatively healthy branches, but she could already see signs of the unknown disease eating at the limbs. These then, were the most recent Carpathian pregnancies. The killer had targeted Raven's child first and then Savannah's, but these children were in jeopardy as well.

There was a taint to evil. Xavier had used the dark arts against the Carpathians, corrupting his gift, twisting it for his own purpose and now she could see not only the faint track marks, but smell the odor of the malevolence along the trail of dark alchemy. The path led up toward the high branches, but also followed the trunk down to the maze of roots below the earth. She went down the trunk and followed the root system, seeking the source.

Lara drifted down the long trunk, pursuing the tracks, using scent and sight. Once on the tangle of roots, the trail was much more difficult as the tracks appeared everywhere. Shadows leapt out at her, great greedy claws, extended toward her. Moans and wails rose around her. The river of tears continued to rise.

She pressed the pads of her fingers deep into the smooth surface of her crystal and waited patiently. The croak of a frog drew her attention. The small creature floated to her on a lily pad. It leapt from the streaming water to the trunk of a tree, looking at her with large, earnest eyes.

She smiled and greeted the creature formally and with respect, her spirit guide in the underworld realm. Frogs were amazing, magical creatures, potent in both land and water energy. To Lara, the frog symbolized everything the Carpathian women sought.

Transformation, rebirth, the bond of mother and child and Mother Earth to her daughters. Unblocking the energy and creating a path for a smoother flowing so healing could prevail, ridding the earth and water of all toxins was exactly what Lara wanted to do. And the symbolism continued further; when frog populations were strong, the ecosystem was in balance and harmony was restored. She was on the right path.

She followed with even more confidence. The frog hopped easily along the root system, moving from stalk to stalk until he found one extremely large and twisted root that seemed to lead away from the rest. It bored deep into the earth and the farther down it went, the more twisted and black it became. Holes pierced the root and the stalk wept black tears.

Lara traced the faint footprint of evil farther, spiraling down the long taproot. The impression of hatred and despair grew stronger until she was caught in its flow and felt the influence pressing on the mother's body to reject the small intruder nestled in her womb. The illusion was strong, mother hating child, wanting it to leave, to get out, that the thing inside was a monster not a beloved child.

She resisted sending the little boy reassurance. That wasn't her job. Far away she could hear melodic voices singing a lullaby softly. She concentrated on the heartbeat, on the crystal in her hand that kept her focused on her journey.