Hello,” said Kyle.
“Nice to meet you,” said Wilson, extending a hand.“Likewise,” said Dr. Ramsey, shaking it.“Are all the professors so young?” asked Dr. Isaacs, chuckling good-naturedly. He looked a few years younger than Dr. Ramsey, and he had dark-brown hair and tough, leathery skin that looked sun baked and weather worn.“Well, we are a newer school. That might make a difference,” said Kyle.“Kristen, have you heard from Leo, Jeff, or Kevin at all since last night?” asked Dr. Isaacs.“No. They didn’t come back?” she asked, concerned.“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” said Dr. Isaacs. “Maybe they just got home late and forgot to check in this morning.”“They know better than that, especially with Kevin in the group. Did you talk to their families yet?” asked Kristen.“We wanted to check with you first before we alarmed them. I will go make the calls right now,” said Dr. Isaacs. He turned and walked outside.“Is everything okay?” asked Wilson.“I don’t know,” said Kristen. “Some of the writings talk about a cave that is supposed to be the source of Isaac ’s powers. Leo has become pretty obsessed with finding it, but so far, nothing. The terrain around here can be pretty dangerous, so they’re supposed to be checking in every time they go out and get back. Leo can be a bit arrogant, so I can see him not checking in, which is why we made Kevin and Jeff go with him. Kevin is very by the book. It’s really unlike him to not check in.” She looked at the concern in Wilson’s face and said, “Well, Dr. Isaacs is finding out more, so there’s not much we can do about it right now.”She turned back toward the class. “If you all want to follow me, I’ll show you around the site.”She approached a man on a laptop.“Michael’s job here is to survey the temple and create a 3-D blueprint. These blueprints can be very useful in discovering new rooms.”She made her way to a table where a man and two women were dusting off ancient objects.“We find all kinds of artifacts when excavating ancient ruins like this one. Researchers like these three are in charge of cleaning and preparing these artifacts for study and display in museums.”She led the group around to the back of the room where a stone throne sat on a raised platform; a rope divider blocked off access to the stairs leading to the top.“This is the throne where Isaac sat.”“I’m sorry, Professor, I know I probably should have known this before coming, but that name you keep saying—I’ve heard it before, but I don’t really know anything about him. Who exactly was he?”Wilson turned to see the question coming from the pretty girl from the parking lot.“Isaac was the man for whom this temple was built. He was a nephew of King Montezuma I,” answered Kristen. “Although he is a fairly recent discovery, it is believed by my colleagues and me that Isaac might be the inspiration behind many of the stories surrounding the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.”“That’s quite the claim,” the girl said.“Dr. Ramsey was the first to suggest it, but the more we find, the harder it is to ignore the obvious comparisons. Although the feathered serpent deity predates Isaac , many of Quetzalcoatl’s attributes—even his name—weren’t attributed to him until around the time Isaac was born.”“Obvious comparisons?” asked the girl.“There are some detailed descriptions of Isaac in this temple, and they match up almost word for word with a lot of the descriptors of Quetzalcoatl. The first and most obvious is that there are actual references made to Isaac as the serpent god. There is also the physical description—tall, fair skinned, and light haired. When Cortez came to America, the Aztecs initially believed him to be Quetzalcoatl because of his light skin and were pretty upset when he proved them wrong.” Kristen smiled wryly. “According to both legends, he will rise again someday. Isaac was believed to hold powers similar to Quetzalcoatl’s, like bringing the dead back to life by dripping his blood on their bones. They both are believed to possess two forms—man and snake. The difference there is that Quetzalcoatl transforms his whole body, whereas Isaac just transforms his limbs. Also, Quetzalcoatl was the patron god of knowledge and learning, and Isaac was described as being extremely intelligent and able to learn things at an accelerated rate. There is also the reference to Quetzalcoatl’s twin brother, Xolotl, who was basically at war with Quetzalcoatl. Isaac has a similar reference made to a doppelganger, and both Xolotl and the doppelganger were considered gods of lightning. However, the doppelganger didn’t exist during the reign of Isaac . It was foretold that this doppelganger would be born in the future at the time when Isaac returns to conquer and enslave all mankind.”“This Isaac guy seems pretty fantastical,” the girl cut in. “You actually believe he existed?”“Well, legends can definitely be exaggerated, but you can usually find hints of truth in them,” Kristen explained. “The people who built this temple and wrote these descriptions believed it to be true. How much of his story is actually accurate, we don’t know, but there is a substantial amount of evidence to suggest that Isaac , as a man, did exist.”“How come it hasn’t been discovered until now?” the girl asked. “If there really is that much compelling evidence, then someone should have come across it long before now, shouldn’t they?”“The only real evidence exists right here. Since this civilization was buried by sandstorms, we were lucky to have come across it at all. According to the writings in this temple, no other hard evidence exists because King Montezuma ordered the destruction of anything linked to Isaac . He feared Isaac and wanted to erase any trace of his existence.“Of course, he couldn’t erase the rumors. That’s where we believe the legend of Quetzalcoatl spawned from. We believe any truth to the rumors died out by the seventeenth century, but we have reason to believe that García López de Cárdena, the first European to discover the Grand Canyon, was sent here in 1540 because his general had heard the stories of the wealth and power Isaac reportedly had hidden here. Unfortunately, the canyon proved to be far more treacherous than they had expected, and they were forced to abort their mission.“Now I think this is a great time to introduce you to one of the coolest things we have come across.”At the base of the platform to the right of the stairs was a sculpture. It stood about four feet tall, and it was shaped like an egg about the size of a basketball and was suspended on four metallic arms that twisted around one another and integrated themselves into the stone floor. The egg was a semitranslucent, dark-blue gemstone that caught the light in a way that made it look like it glowed from its core. The arms glittered in the light as if tiny crystals had been mixed in with the metal.“This is called the oracle stone, and the story behind it is pretty amazing. Like I said before, the legend says that Isaac will return to life someday, and when he does, he will bring a reign of terror unlike any the world has ever seen. The story also says that Isaac can only be stopped by a group of gods led by his doppelganger. This stone is said to have the power to reveal the doppelganger and the chosen ones. See how it has that kind of mystical glow to it? Pretty cool, huh?”“How is it supposed to reveal the chosen ones?” asked Matt.“Well . . . we don’t actually know. All it says is they will be revealed upon touching it.””Can I—” he began, reaching out his hand.“Don’t even think about it,” Kristen said flatly. “This stone is made of some of the most precious geological material we have ever seen, and it’s considered to be one of the most valuable artifacts we have ever come across. It’s the whole reason we have this divider up. We don’t want anyone putting their fingerprints on it or risk the oil from your hands damaging it.”“Have you touched it?” Matt asked.“No, none of us have—at least not with our bare hands. We always wear gloves when handling it.”“Aren’t you curious if you are one of the chosen ones?” he asked, grinning.“Well, aside from the fact that it is the least likely part of the legend to be true, it is an intriguing idea, I have to admit. But not at the expense of potentially damaging the stone.”“I’ve got a question,” said the red-haired girl. “If it’s so valuable, why isn’t it in a more secure location?”“Well, I’d hazard a guess that we have more security than you can see, courtesy of our government friends. Besides, it’s pretty much impossible to move. The metallic base is solidly stuck in the stone floor, and it’s made of a metal we can’t seem to cut through.”“Can’t seem to cut through?” asked Kyle.“You see how it glitters? It has some sort of crystal dust mixed into the metal that I’m sure makes it even more valuable and, at the same time, does something to strengthen it. We tried to cut through it, but it kept breaking our tools, so we just left it until we can figure out a way to move it. We figure, if we can’t move it, then any potential thief is going to have a difficult time as well.”“You said ‘our government friends.’ What do you mean?” asked Wilson.“Yeah, it’s strange. We found a secret room in the temple a few years back that had all kinds of valuable artifacts inside. The archeologists who discovered the room had an unfortunate accident when they found it,” she explained, looking down for a moment in respect. “The government showed up the next day. They hauled away some stuff in crates but never told us what they took. We are also expected to report to them any new discoveries we make.” She rolled her eyes. “That was actually right before I was brought on the project.”How did they die?” asked Carrie.“We don’t know. Dr. Isaacs found them and called 911. The police cordoned off the whole area when they got here, saying it was a crime scene, so we weren’t able to get in there to document any artifacts ourselves.”She looked at Dr. Ramsey, who was hanging his head sadly, then turned back to the students.“I’m sorry. It’s kind of a sensitive subject around here, so if you don’t mind, we should move on.”She led them toward a short hallway through the back wall to the right of the throne. Wilson walked beside Kristen and asked quietly, “That girl who asked about Isaac —how is it she doesn’t know who he is? Is she not one of your students?”“No, she’s not. She’s the only one though. I made a special exception. It was Kyle’s request.”“Kyle’s request?”“Yeah, apparently she’s got a friend in the class who tells her all about it. I’m assuming it’s Lisa since they seem to be pretty close. That’s her,” she said, pointing to the girl with red hair. “Anyway, w
As those loyal to Zaca were being taken from their homes and brought up for sacrifice, Quauhtli quietly gathered as many members of the Momaquixtia as he could and fled the city. Among those with him was Zaca’s widow. Quauhtli led the people north in the same direction of Zaca’s previous quest. The king was informed of the Momaquixtia’s escape and gave the order for them all to be hunted down. The Momaquixtia kept pushing further and further north to escape the king’s men. They finally settled down just northeast of the great canyon where Zaca had found the micoaz atl. They figured the canyon would make a good barrier and provide protection from the armies of the king if they should venture this far north. By the time they settled down and established a community, they numbered fifteen. They named their village after the group, Momaquixtia. Their numbers increased as more refugees from the city and nearby villages discovered them.The king searched for them relentlessly, burning and
Before all the blades could be hidden, Isaac learned of their treasonous actions and had all of them but Zolin executed but not before forcing them to forge the Blade of Life and Death for him. After the executions, he forced Zolin into slavery, using Zolin’s gift of foresight to his advantage. They were able to forge one more object—the oracle stone, designed to reveal the Analoya should they touch it. Isaac forced Zolin to divulge his prophecies to him. He revealed that he saw two futures—one where Isaac was defeated by the Analoya and one where Isaac took control over the whole Earth. Which one was the real future was uncertain. He revealed that Isaac would die and be resurrected at the time the Analoya walked the Earth. Isaac ordered that exactly how and when this would happen be written on a wall in the cave and never again be spoken of outside the cave.This prophecy only fueled Isaac ’s determination and lust for power. Wielding the Blade of Life and Death increased his
The man got to his feet, looking a little dazed, just as several SWAT team officers ran up into the temple. He jumped up onto the platform behind the throne, reached out around the throne with his arms, and transformed them into snakes, stretching them forth and striking officer after officer with such speed they didn’t know what or where to shoot at.When Kristen saw this, she knew who they were dealing with. Her shocked expression was visible to Wilson from behind, and he grabbed her and pulled her back into the room.“Kristen, what hap—““Isaac ,” she interrupted. “He’s real.”“What are you talking about?” asked Kyle.“I believe it,” Wilson said to him. “We need to get out of here right now!”Before they could leave, the two men from the entrance hall came into the room. The taller man saw the .357 still in Kristen’s hand and asked in a whisper, “Was that you that hit him?”She nodded.“Nice shot. I’m Dutch, this is Edmonds. You all need to follow us and stay low.”They followed Du
Isaac spoke to Wilson in a snakelike voice.“Brother.”Wilson drew his gun and fired. Kristen and Kyle did the same. The rest of the people ran back the way they had come as Isaac jumped behind the wall to dodge the bullets. The three of them took off after the others, firing shots behind them as they ran. Wilson was the first to hear the click of his empty magazine, followed by Kristen, then Kyle soon afterward.After the ammo ran out, they could hear Isaac catching up to them rapidly. They ran forward with all their might. Up ahead, there was a fork in the corridor; the people leading the group veered left without pausing to consider their direction.“Turn right! You’re going the wrong way!” Kristen yelled to them.Those who could hear her did an about-face and headed back toward the right corridor. But two of the officers kept moving forward. Jessica felt blood spray the back of her neck as the two officers, now behind her, were skewered by several spears ejected from the walls.
He walked to an old shelter made of stone near the lake and entered a small room inside. Along the walls of the room were rows of ceramic jars sitting on stone shelves. He picked up a jar that had a picture of a wolf painted on the front, brought the jar over to a stone table, and poured the dust contents out onto it. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into his own wrist; holding his arm out, he let the blood drip onto the small mound of dust. It immediately began to take shape just as he had the previous night. He retrieved another jar, this time with a picture of a bobcat painted on it, and repeated the process. The mounds of dust slowly took shape, each forming the tip of a clawed, hairy finger. Little by little, the bones, vessels, muscles, and skin slowly grew, lengthening and thickening.He left the fingers and walked out to the lake, removed his clothing, and waded into it. The liquid sent a burning sensation over all his wounds. After a while, the burning sensation began t
“You might want to sit down,” he said.“What’s this about?” said Kyle.“First off, in the heat of it all, I never got any of your names,” said Dutch.“I’m Kristen White. This is Wilson Cale and Kyle and Kora Ludwig,” said Kristen.“Well, I wish it was under better circumstances, but it is nice to meet you all. My name is Dutch Goodman, in case you didn’t get it already. I wanted to talk about something that happened to the four of you in the temple,” said Dutch“Yeah, I was struck by lightning. What was that?” said Kyle.“You were marked. All of you were,” said Dutch“Marked?” asked Kyle.“By the oracle stone,” said Dutch“But I didn’t touch it,” said Kristen.“Neither did I,” said Kyle.They looked at Kora and Wilson.“I did. I fell against it,” said Wilson. “I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me. I didn’t know anyone else got hit with it.”“What I saw—and I am sure Isaac saw it too, judging by the way he reacted,” said Dutch, “—is it went through you, Wilson, then jumped to
“It’s interesting you should ask that,” said Dutch. “I want to show you something. Follow me.”They all got up eagerly, except Kora. She remained in her seat, still crying.Kyle walked up to her.“Kora—” he began, and then he stopped. He was about to ask “What’s wrong?” but he already knew the answer.“She’s dead because of me,” she said through her sobs. “Lisa was my best friend. If Isaac didn’t think I was that Yeyecame girl, she never would have had to die for me.”“Isaac was killing everybody. You think he wouldn’t have tried to kill you anyway even if he thought you were less important?” said Kyle.“He took his time with me because he thought I was important. If he would have killed me as fast as he killed everyone else, Lisa wouldn’t have had a chance to butt in, and she might still be alive. Whatever this is, I don’t want any part of it,” she said, anger rising in her voice.“If that is what you want. No one is forcing you into this. You’re welcome to rejoin the others or sta
Hopefully the thought that we are out of jeopardy isn’t phony, a fantasy from our purposefully deluded minds.-Isaac Weak. Inferior. Helpless. Useless.These are characteristics that should never be associated with an Alpha, yet I feel them all on a daily basis now.I have a job to do and the need to be a stable and reliable leader is essential after what has just happened. Countless new procedures need to be implemented for the safety of the packs. Each Alpha will need to take precautionary measures -ramping up training, security, and make plans with alias incase war comes.There isn’t time to stay on a sick bed with people keeping me from my work while all these pressing matters wait to be handled. Not to mention my duties as a mate and the fact she has her own position among the packs to undertake.Each day doesn’t hold enough hours to get my tasks completed even if I was healthy and able bodied, the challenges are even more daunting as I regain strength from the poison my brother
If there is a chance behind that cold wall he is capable of feeling rejection, I don’t really want him to feel it from me. I don’t want to be the one who gave up. I will be careful, but right now I want him to know I want to try.So, I reach out and grasp his hand in mine.He smiles sleepily. “Much better”“You know his lips look a little cold too”“Levi!” Isaac grumbles.“I thought I was the wing man?” Levi shrugs.Isaac doesn’t look that upset... I think I might even see a hint of a smile as I chuckle at the two of them. Soon Isaac leans his head back again and falls asleep.I’ll just hold his hand a little longer.-May“She is gonna be here any minute” I mumble against his lips as they tease mine.My mate responds by groaning in protest and pulling me closer causing me to giggle.It’s not like I wasn’t already crammed against him in the small play house that rests just inside the woods behind Robert’s parents’ home.I typically have higher standards for make-out locations. This
“Alright party people, lets get this show on the road!” I giggle nervously and nod before chancing a glance behind at Isaac . He meets my eyes looking tired but other wise emotionless. I eye him narrowly with a glare and let my frustration flood the link between us, unsure if he was even paying attention through that thick wall of his.Turning I adjust myself in my seat and pull out my phone to keep me busy on the drive.I had been working on my linking while my family was still here but with them gone and me not yet being a part of Isaac and Levi’s pack – if I ever become apart of it- I was unable to practice or use the link for the last few days. Only Isaac would be able to talk to me now and we both have been avoiding that.I imagine that the link or bond I have with Isaac works in a similar way to a pack link, and I could learn to keep him out if I try. I don’t get how I have started to be able to keep my thoughts to myself in wolf form but Freddy, Chris and Alpha Cold heart ca
I chose not to make eye contact with Isaac as he is wheeled out of the make shift hospital. I had just finished loading up a few things in the car to make this trip easier.It has almost been a week since he was poisoned but the recovery has been slow. Isaac still spends most of his time sleeping and it frustrates him to be so weak. The slightest activity seems to make him tired.It frustrates ME that he is a stubborn ass.My mate has spent his every waking moment pushing himself by dealing with pack business and trying to get out of bed. I took pity on him the first night he had ripped his IVs out and caused a commotion, now I know I shouldn’t have.He has been such a handful. Willfully disregarding Greta’s orders to the point that I was on board when she threatened to strap him down two days ago.Boy did that Idea go over well.Lucky for Isaac Levi took pity on him and talked us down.I roll my eyes remembering how ridiculous he was being yelling at us to stop babying him and hol
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing more power to be put into the spell, “Summer wood and deity ties, bring these lines to boundaries defined. Expand this protection with the flow of desired correction. Right to what has been outlined.”I hear Silas shout and Wilson growl. I start shouting the spell. “Summer wood and deity ties, bring these lines to boundaries defined. Expand this protection with the flow of desired correction. Right to what has been outlined.”“Stop Isaac !” Mike begs. “You can’t stop this spell.“Stay away from her,” Silas orders.“Please!” He screams as he begs.I feel the thunder shake the ground, and I open my eyes in enough time to see lightning strike the center of the anchor in the ward as it shatters. The earth turns black and spreads out from under me, killing the trees and grass within a mile of us.I pant as my hands clench the dead earth. Sweat has beaded on my forehead, and I try to catch my breath as the boys struggle behind me. I get to my feet very shaki
I give Mike my wrist, my blood still freely flowing. “Squeeze my blood onto each paper and say; Deliver these to Goddess Kaelish, protector of Linru. Bring what’s true in this discovered news.”He gives me a questioning look, and I didn’t miss that his neck is tense. “Why?”“Because I can’t.” I motion to my bonds.He gives me a cautious look, trying to determine if he can trust me. “Why?”“You literally have me chained to a bed, just trust me.” I say, glaring at him.Mike follows my instructions, nearly jumping out of his skin as the pages start smoking. “What are you doing Isaac ?”“Relax,” I say, the flames turning turquoise, signaling they’ve been received. When Kaelish accepts them, the flames dissipate, leaving the pages in their original state. I hand them back to him. “There, now it’s in Kaelish’s hands.”“How much magic do you actually know?” Mike asks, looking me over as if he’s seeing me for the first time.I shrug. “Almost everything. I can’t speak the original spells, b
When I find them, huddled behind Isongarth’s statue, they are clearly talking about me. I’m in no mood to explain myself, though I really should tell Silas about Alier. That can wait until after my very much needed nap.I ignore their conversation and surprised expressions as I sit down cross legged next to Silas. Skipping past looking at them, slightly annoyed they’re talking about me, I pull out a sariah petal and wipe it against one of my bloody wounds. I lay it next to me and bring a trail of salt to it, linking the other spells. I look to Leo. “Repeat after me.”After he nods, I prick my finger and pour seawater over the new wound, right over the sariah petal I had just placed, chanting as I pour. “Summer wood and deity ties, bring these lines to boundaries defined. Expand this protection with the flow of desired correction. Right to what has been outlined.”Leo starts copying me, touching my heart with his hand, flowing my power with his. “Summer wood and deity ties, bring these
“I will see you again. I will find out what you’re up to Isaac . I didn’t know you knew this much about magic, so it’s going to take me a minute.”“I’m more than the girl that you keep trying to sink your teeth into.” I tell him, walking away from him. “I know more than fighting.”“Wait,” He grunts, trying to sit up. “Did you really know Elayna?”I look behind me, trying to keep my face cold. I hold up my hand and wipe off some blood from my wrists. I point to the healed dainty fang marks. “For two years I kept her alive with my blood. Every second of every day we were together. She was a sister to me, and I miss her terribly. Her death nearly destroyed me. I knew everything about her, except for most of her family. I knew she had brothers, but nothing more than that. She would shut down and close herself off whenever that topic was broached, and I knew it was because she was purposely distancing herself so not to hurt them.“Before you ask, she never did tell me about you. She never
Well, I’m dead anyway. I walk into his room to quickly skim through his books. Nothing here can tell me what blasted spell he’s using. I need to think. Something here has to help me escape. I’ve read all of these books! I kick his bed as I try to think. Think Isaac , I shout internally as I try to slow my breathing. I kick his bed again and here a thump. I look under the bed and see Yvanna’s book. It was tucked underneath his mattress, pinned by a board. I grab it and tuck it into my bag as I try to think. I mean outside of using forbidden magic.Several hours later I’m still at a loss and trapped in this god forsaken room. The windows are sealed. His bedroom door is now locked. The only thing I can go into, is his adjoining bathroom. My head is resting against the warm wall while I sit on his surprisingly warm floor. I keep hitting my head against the wall as I try to think. Maybe if I pretend to be here waiting for him, like a loving mate, then he’ll let me off the hook. Nah.I hear