The Journey of Two Sisters: Book 4 of the Kinstone series

(Me)

We flew for over two hours before feeling my body start to give out. Kateryna kept us hidden by projecting a cloaking field around us from her wave-rider. While the battle was brief in comparison to the one at home, it still weighed just as much on my heart. I still worried about Jonathan and Evie, wondering if my little stunt helped them any.

The strafing run took a bit more out of me than I thought. My eyes start to close with every flap of my wings and I slowly was starting to lose altitude. While I don’t need energy to mentally maintain any transformation, it still means that I have to get rest.

“We need to land,” barks Fenris.

Kateryna nods and floats a little closer to me. “Your Highness, Master Fenris is correct, we must land and take shelter.”

I look to her and then back to the ground. We couldn’t have been less than four to five hundred feet off of the ground. Dragons can easily break into the stratosphere, a place where Silvi often wanted to take me a few times but Mom said not until I was older. So that meant my max could only be around 2,000 feet. But today I flew well over five, so a major record for me.

I sigh, nodding. We fly towards a secluded part of the forest and land. I drop to my knees, panting heavily, feeling my wings dropping over me. My tail aches from having to steer through the crosswinds.

Fenris hops out of my shadow and lies down beside me. “Are you injured, little Aria?” he asks gently.

I shake my head, “Just tired.”

He leans in and licks my face, making me giggle. I sit up and look at my knights. I take a deep breath.

“We need to find shelter,” says Orga.

I nod and pull out my phone. On it is a file containing a list of possible alternate safe houses and locations that the coven uses in times of need. I find the location of a fairly decent hotel only a mile from where we currently are. It’s a bit off of the main road, but not hard to reach.

“Okay…there’s a hotel not too far from here we can head to,” I announce. “It’s nothing like the one we stayed at in Dallas, but it’s ten times better than your standard rundown motel.”

The knights nod. I try to stand but my legs give out, plopping me face first into the dirt. I feel hands helping me up to my feet. I weakly brush off the dirt from my shirt.

“You should ride on Master Fenris, Your Highness,” says Kateryna.

“I’ll be fine, honest,” I reply with a weak smile.

She leans in, her eyes now meeting me own. “You are not strong enough Your Highness,” she says firmly. “You flew on your own for the past couple of hours, and are completely exhausted. Therefore are in need of assistance.”

I stare at her, now seeing her asserting herself more not just as my knight, but as the one of the adults in charge of me. I peer up towards Orga, who shares in his wife’s assertion.

“Aria,” I hear Fenris behind me. I turn to see him still in his full form. He gently presses his face into mine. “There’s no need to maintain a mask of strength at all times,” he whispers, but only loud enough for me to hear. “Come, climb onto my back and let me carry you.”

I close my eyes and reach up, clinging to his fur. “All right then,” I whisper.

He slowly pulls back and kneels down beside me. I stagger over to his side, hobbling a little, no longer having a tail or tails to balance me. Orga steps over and offers a hand. I smile and take it as he eases me down. Fenris slowly stands up and we trek forward into the woods.

I peer over to my knights, both look to me, smiling. I give them a weak smile in return. I want to appear strong for them, but can I really keep up the act? The truth is that I’m slowly losing it. Having both of them with me is great and I wouldn’t be here without them.

I cling tightly to Fenris. I meant what I said when I again called them my family. But there’s this wall between us, a line that neither of them will cross. Kateryna will assert a motherly dominance over me and Orga at times acts like an uncle to me. But they still keep some measure of distance, if only a small one in fear of crossing a line.

I just wish at least part of that distance would close.

We reach the edge the woods with the hotel in sight. I slide off of Fenris’ back with my knights carefully placing me onto the ground. I then look over to see my bonded assuming his large dog form. I pull over my bag and take out his collar and leash. I still hate every time I have to loop this around his neck. Never once has it felt right. I place it onto him and click it shut. I click the leash on and off we went.

I scan the parking lot, noting how there’s only a few cars there, probably no more than three or four. Well to be fair, the hotel is a bit off of the main highway and it’s the beginning of September, meaning not a lot of people are traveling. We walk into the lobby, now feeling even more exhausted.

It doesn’t take us long to get a suite with a kitchen. The guy at the front desk does take wary look as I handle the reservations. Heh yeah, a fifteen-year old girl with a huge black dog and two people that don’t even look remotely related to me, all trying to get a room. I opt to pay for two days up front, with the option of paying for more if the need arises.

One thing we should be grateful for is that the hotel has both a full free breakfast with a snack shop. So at least some of our food needs are met. Not to say we really have to worry about food. Mom once again supplied us with enough food to last us quite a while, but it never does hurt to not have to dig into it.

We arrive at our room and go inside. It’s a decently sized room with a queen-sized bed, couch, kitchen and chairs. Part of me still wishes we could just turn around and head back to the ranch.

“You should take the bed Your Highness,” says Orga.

I look to him, “No, I’m ok with the couch, you both take the bed.”

“We could never impose such a thing upon you Your Highness,” says Kateryna.

I smirk. “Guys, I’m seriously ok with the couch. Besides, it’s nothing new to me.”

They stand by the dresser, silent and unmoving.

“If that is your wish Your Highness,” says Orga, “then we shall abide by it. But do please get some rest.”

“No argument there,” I say smiling.

I walk over to the couch, and place my backpack onto it. I open it up and pull out my pillow. I crash hard onto the couch, feeling Fenris lying down beside me, his fur brushing against my hand. I smile and slowly feeling the full weight of my fatigue washing over me. My eyes then close, allowing myself to drift away.

I wake up to the sounds of Orga and Kateryna talking with Fenris also mixed in. I feel something draped over my shoulders, keeping me warm. My eyes open to see that it’s already night with the light on in the kitchen.

I slowly sit up on the couch, with my face now warm from lying on my pillow. “What are you guys talking about?” I ask.

Everyone turns and looks to me. “Good evening Your Highness,” greets Orga. “I hope you rested well.”

I knock my neck to the side, hearing it pop. “I think so,” I then giggled, “if I were completely relaxed, I would’ve transformed into a kitsune.”

My knights smile as I amble over to them, still carrying my pillow, plopping myself down into a seat. I let out a soft yawn, still feeling exhausted from earlier.

“We were discussing what our next plan of action should be Your Highness,” says Kateryna, she takes a sip from her cup. She clearly doesn’t care for the coffee as she face contorts.

I smile to her, “Well, we could head to St. Louis. It’s a bit of a hike from here, but at least it’s something.”

“Why there, Your Highness?” asks Orga.

I peer to him, “It’s where Jenn lives, plus over half a dozen coven families are clustered there.”

He nods and smiles, “Strength in numbers.”

A soft grin stretches over my face, “Yep.” I then sigh looking down, “I hope Jonathan and Evie are both alright. Just wish we could go back.”

“I know you are worried Your Highness,” replies Kateryna. “But you know full well that if one coven had learned of our presence there, then so might the others, if only eventually.”

I nod, hugging my pillow tightly to my chest. If one ant finds sugar, more are soon to follow. I bury my face into the pillow.

“How did they even find us?” asks Orga.

“Maybe someone tipped them off,” I respond. “But something I’m worried about is if law enforcement really is after us as well.”

Both knights look to me. “What would make you say that Your Highness?” asks Kateryna.

“When Edtrich showed up,” I started, “the man they had posing as an officer say that you kidnapped me. This means that Regulus and Selene must’ve lied and said that I was their daughter. If that’s the case, then we really need to be careful. Not just state and local, but possibly even federal authorities might be after us.”

They nod, with Kateryna again attempting to take another sip of coffee before finally giving up and pushing the cup away from her.

I smile, leaning onto the table. “If that’s the case, we should also refrain from contacting anyone,” I say. “If somehow my phone is being monitored, then they’ll trace it and then we’re sunk.”

“What should our plan be then Your Highness?” asks Orga.

I take a deep breath, “We need to get a car. Nothing fancy, an SUV would be best. I’ll start looking for a used dealer that’s close by. Hopefully one that’s at most walking distance.”

“But this will mean that we will need to take even greater care while traveling,” again states Orga. “Without the augmentations from Marie, we will have to physically drive there.”

I plop one end of the pillow onto the table and rest my head onto it. “Yep…I am fully aware of that. Even if we were to go nonstop, it would still take us well over ten hours to reach St. Louis. Not exactly something I want accomplish.” A tingle then runs up my spine, “The only other option is to use public transit. Flying would be out of the question, so maybe the bus.”

They nod.

“If we were to acquire a new vehicle, then we should switch between drivers,” says Orga.

I look to him, “Finally learned how to drive?” smiling.

He nods, “That I did Your Highness. Master Jonathan taught me how to with his truck.”

I smirk, “Ok then, maybe when this all blows over you could go and apply for a license.”

He smiles, “I pray that day shall come Your Highness.”

I nod, leaning my hand down towards Fenris, gently raking my hands through his fur. “I say we have ourselves a plan then.”

“That we do Your Highness,” says Kateryna. “But I suggest we leave soon.”

“No arguments there,” I reply, smiling.

The next couple of days were spent resting with the first full day there entailed us walking down the local supermarket and picking up a few more supplies for the hotel room. We kept a constant vigil of those around us. Like anywhere, we don’t know how the locals might react to our presence. So we kept our trip brief, but gathered up enough extra food for a few days.

While not out, we retreated to the hotel room. To take some of the pressure off of us, I erected a deflection charm on the door as well as placing a few tags around the floor. These also acted as early warning beacons. But we kept to ourselves, mostly only venturing out for breakfast.

I keep everything inside my backpack just in case we had to make a quick dash, that way we wouldn’t run the chance of leaving something behind by accident. That and I always kept the bag with me at all times.

Fenris tends to himself by going hunting. He often grew frustrated with how small the deer were compared to those near the ranch. He too kept his presence a secret by discretely disposing of any remains he didn’t finish. The last thing any of us wanted was the locals to discover the mangled remains of a deer, which had clearly been eaten by a massive predator.

I found two things that would prove useful to us. The first being the car dealership, the problem is that it’s in the next town over, about five miles from here. It wasn’t anything a short taxi ride couldn’t fix. The other thing I found was a tent. At first it appeared to have been any old normal camping tent. I questioned why Mom would send us something so small.

So we moved the furniture around so that we could set it up. I stood back and gazed at it. From the outside it appeared to by mothering more than a small, canvas teepee tent. But once we entered it, we discovered that the interior was easily over six hundred square feet with a step up with a table, chairs, and separate rooms complete with beds. The only thing it didn’t have was a kitchen, but she did give us a stove that I could easy power with a small ball of kitsune-bi and dragonfire. So nothing I couldn’t handle.

On the third day of our stay, we had decided to finally head out. We take our final showers and got dressed. As always, I shove everything into my bag and place it onto my back. I should really be grateful we placed our dirty clothes into capsules that contain everything, including the smell. I really have to thank my mother for everything.

We trot over to the lobby to both have breakfast and then checkout. The stroll was quiet, but the sky was cloudy and grey, something I’ve always attributed to either that it’s going to rain or somethings going to happen.

When we rounded the corner, I find my arm being grabbed and pulled away from my party. I look up to see a tall sheriff’s deputy sergeant standing over me.

“I have the girl,” he says into his radio. “Arrest the couple.”

I struggle to free myself, “Let me go, right now.”

“Hold still Miss,” he says. “We’re here to rescue you. Your mother and father are waiting for you.”

I glare at him, “They’re not my parents.” I finally free an arm and spin around to face him. “Are you people really that stupid? You are being lied to.”

“Your Highness,” shouts Kateryna, as she, Orga and Fenris return. Fenris growls at the sergeant who looks at him.

The sergeant stares at my knights, “You both are under arrest for kidnapping. Now get on the ground and surrender.”

Kateryna glares at him, “You will unhand Her Highness right now.”

He laughs, “’Highness’? What are you taking lady?”

Soon I hear the sounds of boots running towards us as more deputies arrive, weapons already drawn and trained on my knights. Each orders my knights to surrender. I glimpse another person, animal control officer, inching his way towards us with a long pole and a loop at the end. He tries silently to close in on Fenris, who was still growling at the sergeant.

The animal control officer tries to loop the lasso around Fenris, only for my wolf to instantly grab it and yank him forward and pin him to the ground, snarling at the man. Both knights quickly draw their swords, with Kateryna activating her shield. The deputies step back at the sight of their weapons.

The sergeant too is stunned at the sight. This allows me to elbow him in the side, which releases my other arm. I step back towards my knights, hearing the deputies, now ordering my knights to drop their weapons.

“Can we kill them?” asks Orga.

I shake my head, “They’re normal people.” I glance at Fenris. “Remember at Ikkicon when you offered me an out?”

The wolf nods. His fur darkens as his shadow starts to ripple. The shadow then erupts around us. The deputies start shouting and wailing, stumbling around blind. I quickly spring a pair of kitsune tails and wrap them around my knights. I pull them out of the shrouding darkness and away from the scene.

“How long will that last Fenris?” I ask releasing my tails and pulling them back into me.

“Long enough for us to escape little Aria,” he replies.

I nod.

After a short cab ride over to the next town, we head for the local dealership. We meet with the salesman and pick out a large SUV, perfect for our needs. I go in, still having a copy of my insurance on my phone, and begin filling out the paperwork in order to purchase it.

We sit in the office waiting for the salesman to come back to finalize the deal. All around me I felt a sense of unease. Granted this is the first time I’ve ever purchase a car before so naturally I’m nervous. I pan over to my knights still sitting in the lobby with Fenris, who is sitting upright with ears constantly on a swivel.

The salesman returns and sits down, reading over my paperwork. “Yes…everything is in order. Credit is excellent, which will make this a simple matter.”

I lean back, “I’m glad to hear that. I’m willing to pay in cash and in full.”

He nods, “I see.” A grin then forms on his lips. “Master Regulus will be very happy to hear this news.” He quickly reaches for a knife and lunges at me.

I kick off of the desk and blast with an orb, sending him flying several feet away and crashing into another.

I roll backwards onto the floor, only to get up. I hear my party racing into the office. Fenris quickly hops to my side.

“We heard a commotion Your Highness,” says Orga.

I nod, “Yeah, this guy pulled a knife on me after saying Regulus’ name.”

Both knights then stand up straight, scanning the room. I walk over and kneel beside the unconscious man. I look him over, glimpsing some kind of tattoo on his neck. I turn his head over to see the image of a scroll beset by a ring of six stars.

“Crap,” I say backing away from him.

“What is it Your Highness?” asks Kateryna.

My eyes scan the room. “This guy belongs to another coven, named Mythcia. They’re a bit more powerful than Edtrich. But still hates the top covens.”

Just then, we hear a door swinging open to reveal two more men, both brandishing the same tattoo as the man on the floor. “Colburn brat,” says one of them, “you’re gonna come with us whether you like it or not.”

Both men then lunge towards me, each infusing them with fire. Kateryna quickly intercepts both men, grabbing each of their hands and spins, using the momentum to toss them into the floor. The elf and her husband both knock each of them out, tossing away their knives.

I step over and cast a small pink aura over all three men.

“What are you doing Your Highness?” asks Orga.

“Casting a memory charm on all of them,” I say. “That way they can’t alert their coven that we were here.”

He nods just as I finish.

“Ok, let’s get out of here,” I say. I swear under my breath, “Looks like we’re gonna have to take the bus.”

My knights nod as we then exit the office.

After spending another night in a motel, we climb aboard the bus bound for St. Louis. I lean back into my seat, trying to relax. I never once pictured myself using the bus to escape from anything. I still much rather have preferred a car. Not only is it faster, I don’t have to worry about there being a potential enemy with us. Fenris keeps his usual spot next to me, having had to also place his service animal vest on him. Again, this way no one will question why he’s onboard.

I pan over to see Orga and Kateryna both sitting across from me. I give a soft smile as they sleep, leaned against each other. I almost wish I could share in this brief moment of quiet.

I lean against the window and pull out my phone. I let out a massive sigh. Ever since we had to flee the Estate, I’ve kept track of how far we’ve gone. It breaks my heart each time I look, seeing the distance growing with each day.

I pin a note on each place with stopped and stayed, starting with the Ranch and moving forward. Part of me still would love nothing more than to simply return to the Parkstons. I know little Liam and Sammy both are missing me terribly, having gotten used to having me around. Then again, I have no idea if their parents are ok. I never lifted my communications blackout, opting to remain quiet until we were safely to St. Louis.

I peer up at the cabin, eyes darting around at everything. I still have nightmares, but they haven’t been quite as frequent, but I still haven’t had much sleep in the last twenty-four hours. Another worry that I’ve tacked onto my mind is that law enforcement could at any time pop up and order a road block. With all of this, my paranoia often kept me from truly falling asleep, usually having to settle for short little naps.

The bus jumps a little, stirring me from my near slip into a nap. I peer out the window as we come to another stop. This would give us a slight chance to stretch our legs.

I see that the station already lined with people waiting to climb on. My eyes quickly train onto someone wearing a jacket with some sort of emblem on it. As the bus slows to a stop, the image becomes clearer.

My heart quickens as it’s a hawk clutching a sword, the insignia of Hawkesvaine, one of the more powerful covens in the country. They in fact rank tenth in the nation. None of their members live in Texas, so this isn’t good. Surrounding the man stood a half dozen so or more people, all waiting to possibly board.

I have two options, one, I can toss a tag one each of us, granting us disguises, but that would reveal the fact that magic exists, further exposing us. There is also the chance that someone from Hawkesvaine might easy sniff out the ruse. Plus there’s this little issue of me maintaining the illusion, given my current mental state.

The other option, and the riskier, not to mention dumber one, is to slip off of the bus and possibly wait for another bus to arrive. So…the dumb option it is.

I lean over to Fenris, stirring him softly. “We’ve got trouble.”

The wolf’s ears perk up as he instantly jumps into a sitting position. He looks to me, “Enemy coven?” I give a short nod.

I crawl over to my knights, giving each of them a gentle nudge. “Hey, we’ve got trouble.

They quickly rouse from their sleep and look to me. “Trouble?” asks Orga.

I nod slowly then motion towards the front. “Looks like Regulus got his clutches into Hawkesvaine, another coven,” I whisper. “I counted at least half a dozen waiting for us outside, maybe more waiting in the parking lot.”

Kateryna peeks over the seats as the passengers start to slowly get it and disembark. “We have to leave Your Highness.”

I nod. “Let’s trying and slip in with the rest of the crowd,” I say as Fenris hops onto the seat. “Maybe we can hide out in the woods until they move on.” Like I said…not the brightest option I can think of at the moment.

Both knights nod in agreement.

“How powerful is Hawkesvaine Your Highness?” asks Orga.

“Powerful enough to worry me,” I reply. I really don’t want to fight. I’m too tired and I really would love nothing more than to continue on to St. Louis and meet up with my coven.

We rise from our seats and head for the entrance. Fenris stays close, acting as a buffer to the person in front of me. My heart pounds heavily in my chest, I know something is bound to happen and it will quickly.

We step down onto the pavement and turn towards the woods, still trying to be as quiet as possible. My nose fills with smell of running water. My eyes dart around, finding a small stream flowing towards the road. I make note of it as our pace quickens.

I turn back towards the station to see that we’ve been spotted as several members begin to follow us. A few break off and head into the woods. The rest continue to come after us.

I swear under my breath as I begin to summon water from the creek, forming a small ball in my hand. I use my free hand to tighten up the straps on my bag. Even if in a fight, I know it’ll stay put. I take another glance at our pursuers, who are slowly gaining on us.

“Be ready, I’ll create a fog screen to cover us,” I whisper. “When I do, run like hell for the woods.”

They nod.

Fenris begins to tense up. Magic swirls within him, growing more and more powerful. I toss the ball of water into other hand and undo his collar and remove his vest. The wolf shakes his body, now free.

I take several deep breaths, trying to ready myself for the coming fight. The ball of water swirls as I slowly speed it up, ready to cast my spell.

I take one final breath before dropping it behind me. The moment it hits the ground, a giant plume of mist erupts, spreading against our back.

“Now!” I scream.

The four of us dash towards the woods. I hear the sounds of both knights as they draw their weapons. Fenris already dropped his disguise and now runs as a five and a half foot tall wolf, with twin tails swishing behind his back.

I take another look back. The group caught in the mist finally breaks through and charges after us.