Larcade took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “We just want to pass through the magic portal to the outside world.” Larcade strolled up to him with a bow. We came here so you can open it for us, O guardian of the magic portal.”
“Why should I open the portal for you? Do you have any idea what sort of request you are asking of me?”
His wrinkled face and rotten black teeth turned my stomach.
“Yes, great one. I’m not saying you should open the magic portal just for anyone.” Larcade pointed at Wendy. “She needs to go to the outside world to check on her grandfather. We received a word that he is dead. If we don’t go check on him, we don’t know what might happen.” Larcade faced him properly. “Please allow us to get through. We promise to come back as soon as possible.”
I couldn’t tell what the guardian was thinking, but he smiled devilishly. I saw his rotten teeth move before he laughed.
He looked like he was in his eighties and out of balance. What was he laughing at?
The simple thing he could have done is open the portal and allow us to pass. No need for all this unnecessary drama.
The brown staff he held in his left arm, he pointed it at Wendy. “Once she walks out of this portal, she is not coming back here again.”
“WHAT?” we exclaimed.
“Why? This is my home, too. Why am I not coming back here?” Wendy questioned, and a lot of things must have gone through her mind. And she was right, why wouldn’t she come back here again?
She is Wendy, a werewolf and not some monster.
“The marks on your body are too much. I don’t want Sihwa to be located here.”
Wendy’s expression froze the second he mentioned that dude’s name.
Who the hell is Sihwa? Why did the others get stiff when his name got mentioned?
Sihwa.
I’ve been hearing this name for the past four years and still don’t know what is going on? Larcade had no clue, I think. Chelsea doesn’t want to talk about it, including Wendy.
They both turn away from me as if I’m mentioning someone who wants to kill them. I tried asking my grandmother, but she warned me not to mention his name again. Including my grandmother’s friends, who warned me to not mention his name again.
I don’t get it. Why is everyone afraid of calling out his name? What kind of Alpha was he to everyone to tremble just by mentioning his name?
Two years ago, while Wendy and I were taking turns in taking our clothes out of the rope, we hung our clothes outside for them to dry. She stopped talking.
“Wendy, I said, when are we going to the festival again? Let’s sneak out this time. I don’t want my grandma to find out, okay?” I grinned and noticed she wasn’t responding. “Wendy! Wendy! Wendy!” I yelled in her right ear.
“Hah!” She jerked out of her thoughts and turned to me with a pale look. “What happened?” She questioned in a mutter and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” Why was she suddenly sweating profusely when the air was still chilly?
“Yeah.” She blew out her breath. “I’m fine.” She forced out a laugh and out of the blue. She turned to her back with a gasp. “SIHWA.”
“Huh! Who’s Sihwa?” I walked past her to see who she was looking out from the balcony, but there was no one down there. When I turned to face her, she smiled and walked off.
It felt creepy.
Since that day, I haven’t known what went on because no one would tell me anything. And sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t even know what is going on at all.
“Don’t come here again, Wendy Grimwolf.”
Grimwolf? I thought it was Nightshade. Did Wendy lie about her identity, too?
“You are gonna put all of us in danger if you come back here again and not settle the scores between your mates and Sihwa. You have a great journey ahead of you. Don’t waste it here.”
“What about us? How can we come back here without Wendy?” I voiced out, and the guardian turned to me and held his staff closer to himself.
“You should ask yourself if you are ever going to come back here again.”
“Huh! What does that mean?”
“It means if Sihwa doesn’t kill you before you come over here and leaving here doesn’t guarantee you coming back here. If all of you leave here right now and struggle to come back here, I don’t know if I would let you in. I need to ensure that nobody is following you. As for Wendy, she wouldn’t step foot on this island again. Sihwa is searching for his mate. He is taking over every pack he sets his eyes on and you think you would be safe.”
“How did you-know about him?” Wendy darkly questioned and her fist tightened its grip.
“No one sets their eyes on you and doesn’t know Sihwa.”
“What does that mean?” Larcade asked. “Who is Sihwa?”
“Ask your friend,” The guardian answered and turned to Wendy. “Save yourself and do what is right.”
Wendy bit her lower lip and I could see her eyes burn.
“A ship is outside this portal. Once you set sail, know there is no turning back.” He pointed the staff at a non-existent air and enchanted some words.
A transparent veil shone before us and cracked. The cries of souls were so loud in my ears I was so scared to go out there in the dark.
“Quick. Don’t let the souls in.” He roared, and we all rushed out and the veil closed behind us and vanished.
It was dark.
Only the stars in the sky were shining and the breeze smelled different from the breeze at the Twilight Springs. The weather felt a little weird.
I saw a ship before us and it was huge. The white sand beneath my feet was cold instead of warm.
“Yeah, right? Who can handle this gigantic ship now?”
“I can.” Larcade volunteered. “I know a lot of things about a ship.”
“Sounds great.” Chelsea nodded. “Let’s set sail.” She shouted and stopped when she saw none of us reacting to her. “Okay. Okay. Guys, stop this now. This is our first time outside the world. Don’t jinx it. Come on, we didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
“Why don’t all of you turn back the way you came?” Wendy blurted out and kept looking down at her feet. “This is my fight. My battle to handle and these untoward incidents happening are my burden to bear. I don’t want to get any of you involved. Please, turn back before it is too late.”
I looked at Chelsea and Larcade, who said nothing to Wendy. She grabbed her backpack, tightened her grip and walked past us.