Chapter 176: The Whisper of the Dead

Wind howled along the gully between blackened trees, twisting through limbs like the screams of tormented specters. Scout unit moved ahead, boots grinding on earth. Kael led the way, gold eyes cast forward, Athena following him, senses testing for the slightest hint of threat. Two other warriors followed, fists gripping swords. Reika had spent the night at the coven, but the humiliation of leaving it there was something Kael couldn't help but recall. She'd wanted to go, to meet Daisy face-to-face, but Elira had been right—she couldn't. Not now. Not without Ariadne. It was a straightforward enough errand: rescue Daisy. Bring her home. But something was off with the mission. Kael couldn't help but feel that they were on nothing more than a rescue mission. And his worst nightmares would be a bloody reality in minutes before he could ever so much as dream. A Trail Gone Cold Two-day chase and the warriors vanished into the shadows of the east woods—a region where few will have feet to tread. Supernatural quietness claimed the land, and even things that moved at night shunned it far. Athena was at the stream's bank, trailing her fingers over the small mud. "This is where the last one found her," she whispered softly. "But no fighting. No tracks. She just. disappeared." Kael's jaw clenched, his face contorting. "Daisy would not disappear without leaving a trail behind her." "Unless she was taken," a warrior growled. Kael's brows were knitted. The very idea disturbed him. If the men of Ariadne had kidnapped Daisy, then they must act swiftly—but how do you fight an assailant when you hadn't been able to trail behind them? Athena stood rigid among the boulders, her shaking fingers. "There is something amiss here. I sense it." Kael drew a harsh breath, glancing heavenward. "We press on. There will be some sign—" Before he could hear the words, a screaming blast of wind tore through the trees, and on its back, a breathed, otherworldly whisper. Not wind. Something. The Voice from the Darkness The men fell back into line, fingers clenching to blades. "Hear that?" one spat. Athena nodded, whiting her knuckles on her blade. "We don't stand alone." The whisper gained strength, cold wind whirling about them, tracing their figure like bony fingers of an outraged demon. The torches flared to life about them, casting raving shadows skittering amidst the trees. And then—voice. "You are coveting the lost one… but she is out of your reach." Kael spun, his heart racing. "Who speaks?" Wind twisted, darkness taking form. Not man, not spirit—an illusion, its form breaking in hoods of darkness. Black, foamy eyes guided them to embers as if hacking their bones. "You seek the girl, but for another you seek," the ghost struggled. Kael's sword arm, his arm, came up. "Shout out if you've found her." The man laughed, voice sending shivers. "Your search is futile. The child is in the hands of fate." Athena would not be dissuaded, furrowed brow. "What do you mean? Is she dead?" The ghost leaned forward to tell them. "Her fate is even unknown to us spirits. But your concern must not be about the missing child." Kael's hand moved, pushed deeper into the ground. "Then what do we make it?" The specter's eyes blazed with otherworldly fire on him. "The one you've chosen for Ariadne." The Secret of Killing Ariadne Kael's blow was parried, "What do you know of her?" The specter's form contorted, voice grayed and spied. "She married men's world. but she married death's world. That is the weak spot." Athena inhaled. "You're telling us we're to break it and steal it? That we can?" The man advanced. "Ariadne is stubborn, but she's a thief of fate. She wasn't born a princess. Her heart roams from grades, and for it she can be taken." Kael lurched. "Taken? By whom?" "By the Army of the Dead." Galling gust swirled in, the heavy weight of words crushing. Athena smiled. "The Army of the Dead are myth. A myth to frighten children." The ghost smiled again. "Myths are which confirm the truth. The Army of the Dead are real, but march not for man. A price is paid to call upon them." Kael retreated a step. "And what price?" The ghost moved closer, its ghostly body twisting itself into writhing forms. A soul equal to ours. There was a strained silence that fell across the group. Kael's mind spun. This is what they were looking for? The step-by-step manual to actually murder Ariadne? But if the ghost was telling the truth, calling up the Army of the Dead would be expensive. Athena crossed her arms. "Who would be footing the bill?" The ghost leaned in close to him in a whisper. "That is your decision." Kael breathed deeply and stepped back. "We must report this to Reika." Athena nodded. "I do. If death is the sole option that is now left for us to include, then we must put it in one of our options in a resort." The supernatural being was fading away, losing its shape and disappearing into blackness. "The option is yours," it whispered and entirely vanished. The warriors stood frozen, attempting to comprehend what they had heard. And then Kael rose to his men. "We depart at dawn. We have to warn Reika. and make sure we're getting through." Athena's brow was creased, furrowed. "And if we are?" Kael's expression was stern. "Then we go find somebody who'll pay the price." Night was starting to fall and reluctantly as they left, knowing their victory over Ariadne had taken something from each of them that they did not realize they were ready or able to lose. Kael and Althea prepared to return back to the coven but Kael mind was far from their mission. He longed for the peace of his pack. The return of his Alpha. Alpha lleus. "I know you're out there. Hang on for us. We'll get you out of that coma soon." He thought to himself as he held Althea's hands tight.