And There Were Wolves

twenty eight | invisible string

Time, curious time / Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs. / Were there clues I didn't see? / And isn't it just so pretty to think / All along there was some / Invisible string / Tying you to me?

Ryker was sitting behind the wheel, he hit the ignition button, then groaned in pain. I was in the middle of putting on my seatbelt and immediately turned to him. "What's wrong?" I asked him, raking my eyes through his body wondering if he was injured.

"That bloody witch," muttered Ryker, shaking his head as he threw a scowl at the cabin a few feet away from us. He turned to me and showed me his reddened wrists.

I gasped. His skin was scalded almost as if he was in contact with fire. "What happened? Did the witch do that?" Even though I'd heard Ryker groaning in pain a few minutes ago inside the cabin, I'd assumed that the witch had kicked him or something. I certainly had not seen any fire.

"She used silver," said Ryker with an annoyed sigh. "Apparently they have a few tricks up their sleeves. Interesting. I should tell Dmitry about this just in case one day we have to go to war with their kind."

I blinked. That was a big spin from being wounded by a witch using silver to waging a war. "War?"

Ryker gave me a rueful smile. "I hope it doesn't go to that extent but sometimes we have war with our neighbors. It was usually started over a small, unimportant matter but then it went big and bigger and it eventually blew up." He touched his wrist with his other hand and grimaced. "I don't like it but we have to be prepared for everything. Sometimes our friends could be our enemies too. I heard that once upon a time, The Erebos was our friend." His gaze met mine and his lips tugged into a small smile. "Can you believe it? Considering how hostile we are towards each other. Well, how unfriendly your friend was towards me."

I took the first aid kit from the trunk and helped him tend his wound. Even though I had offered to drive us back, Ryker didn't let me, saying that he was perfectly able to drive with his current condition. He probably didn't want me to touch his expensive car.

Although he'd been reluctant in going to the East region, there was no question that he would help me find out more answers. At that moment, I realized that Ryker was truly a man of his words. During our trip, I told him about the key that Eros and I had found last time. I explained to him that the key would lead me to something that might help me know more about my mother.

"Adelina probably knows your mother," said Ryker quietly. "She specifically called you 'Gaia's daughter', I thought she was just making it up but now that you said your mother has this key with 'G. A.' which is highly likely an initial for Gaia Ashcroft then I think it's sort of matched." He glanced sideways at me then turned his attention back on the road. "Gaia is a Greek name, a Greek goddess name if I'm not mistaken. That suits The Erebos's weird naming rule. Although it may not be your mother's birth name since you mentioned her being a human, it was certainly a name she had been using for a while — enough that people are referring to her using that name."

"You're probably right." I let out a frustrated sigh. "I wish Adeline is more welcoming because there are many things that I want to ask her." I was looking out at the window but when I felt my hand being touched, I looked down on my lap to find his hand holding mine. He still looked straight ahead when he said, "I know. Trust me, I know. And I'm gonna help you find out more about what happened to your mother. Adelina might not be our only help."

I wondered if he had any other sorceresses or witches alike that might be willing to help us but I decided that I was too tired to ask. Instead, I let him hold my hand throughout the rest of our journey and rested my eyes. Once I fell asleep, I was being pulled into a dream.