Choose Your Own Misadventure - 7

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Lorcan walked side by side with Luciana up the trail to Weyrd Mountain. She had sent one of her servants—who seemed to magically appear any time she needed them—to grab a staff for Lorcan to use for self-defense in the woods.

“You have no idea how to use that as a weapon, do you?” Luciana asked him as she kept a vigilant eye on the trees surrounding them. It was getting dark and each of them carried a torch.

“What gave me away?” Lorcan asked. He could hear wolves howling nearby, but so far he hadn’t seen any of them.

“You’re using it as a walking stick.”

“Oh. What am I supposed to do with it when I’m not using it to fight?” Lorcan looked down at the staff.

Luciana shook her head. “It’s a little late for lessons now. Just try not to injure yourself with it. Why you insisted on leaving Ostfield is beyond me.”

“I’ve walked this trail hundreds of times. Wolves have always left me alone before.” Though Lorcan had to admit, he had never heard quite so many of them howling at one time.

“This is not before,” Luciana told him sternly. “Your life has changed. You have been marked and there are those who will recognize you for what you are and either kill you or tempt you to their cause.”

Lorcan knew she was talking about the pattern burned onto his hand and the twenty-seven scars he’d earned passing through Lord Cumberbatch’s crucible. “What do you mean tempt me to their cause?”

“Your discovery marks a time of change where there has been none for the past thousand years. I know you are not educated, but you are not simple minded. You know that what you are will make you a target.”

“For the Last Sorcerer’s followers.” Lorcan nodded.

“And others,” Luciana warned him.

“Like who?” Lorcan asked.

He did not receive an answer. Luciana turned sharply to her right and drew her sword to slash at a leaping wolf in one fluid motion. Lorcan dropped his torch and gripped the staff with both hands. This did him little good, he was knocked to the ground by a wolf behind him.

Luciana whirled around to swipe at the wolf pinning Lorcan. The beast jumped to the side, leaving Lorcan free to scramble back to his feet.

Wolves surrounded them on all sides in a ring of snarling fangs.

“What do we do?” Lorcan asked, he stood back to back with Luciana.

“And when Death’s shadow once more looms, come the wolves before strife resumes.” A familiar voice rang out from the darkness. Lorcan could not quite place whose voice it was, however.

Lorcan squinted at the figure emerging from the edge of their torchlight. Behind him, Lorcan felt Luciana stiffen at hearing the voice speak to them. “What’s wrong? Who is that?” Lorcan whispered.

“Oh, Anna! You didn’t tell him about me? I’m hurt!” A tall woman stepped forward into the light.

“I swore that I would kill you if I ever saw you again, Vera,” Luciana said through clenched teeth.

Vera laughed lightheartedly. “Is that anyway to thank the woman who told you your fiancé was a warlock?”

“You are evil and insane. It was weakness to allow you to live.” Luciana’s voice had become icy cold and hard. Lorcan expected her to try vaulting over the wolves and attach Vera at any second.

“Could somebody maybe tell me what’s going on?” Lorcan asked nervously.

“Hush, dearie.” Vera waved her hand dismissively at him. “You’ll be important in just a minute, so hang in there. Right now us girls need to catch up. I haven’t see Anna in over a year and I’ve missed her so.”

“This deranged lunatic believes the Last Sorcerer is some kind of savior for humanity. Even though she killed fourteen people, I let her go because she was the one who told me what Mason really was,” Luciana explained.

“Warlocks can be useful tools, but little Mason had delusions of grandeur. That, and his feelings for you compromised his dedication to the cause.” Vera shook her head.

“I don’t want to hear your lies. Mason was going to kill the Emperor and I was just his way to get close enough,” Luciana said.

Vera cocked her head to the side inquisitively. “Is that what you tell yourself? Oh, poor, deluded Anna. Mason loved you. Even after he realized what he truly was, his love remained.”

“Shut up!” Luciana appeared to be at the very edge of her ability to remain calm and collected at all times. “You are lying, just like you lied to me when I let you go free!”

“The Mason-nerve is still as raw as ever, I see. That’s good, Anna. It proves that deep down in that icy heart of yours, there truly is a real person. You can’t lock away all your emotions down deep, you have to make the choice to let them run wild in order to really live! Once you’ve suffered enough, you’ll understand that.” Vera cackled madly. “Here, let me show you.”

Vera snapped her fingers and two enormous wolves came trotting out of the darkness. Each wolf was dragging a squirming body that had been bound and gagged. They deposited their cargo on either side of Vera and bent down with their jaws poised above the captives’ throats. One wolf held Lorcan’s cousin Julian and the other held Luciana’s sister Evie.

“Lorcan, it’s your turn to contribute! At the count of three you will use your magic to save either your relative that you despise, but is your own flesh and blood or this sweet little girl who you hardly know, but have nevertheless healed and bonded with in the short time you have known her. At this stage in your abilities developing you will only be able to kill one wolf before the other rips out its prisoner’s throat. Are you ready?” Vera had a manic gleam in her mismatched eyes.

“Vera, please don’t do this!” Lorcan pleaded, his eyes darting from Evie to Julian.

“Oh, and one more thing. I will let both of them live if you agree to come with me. I’ll even let Anna go free, as much as I’d love to watch my wolves devour her icy self-righteous heart. One…”

“Vera, no!” Lorcan tried to step forward, but the wolves encircling him and Luciana growled menacingly and snapped at him.

“Two…”

“Shit, son, get a move on!” Lord Cumberbatch shouted inside Lorcan’s head.

“Aaaaaand…three!”

What does Lorcan decide to do?

1)      Save Julian and count on Luciana saving Evie.

2)      Save Evie, she’s innocent and deserves to live more than Julian.

3)      Agree to go with Vera.

4)      Attack Vera!