Zora's Dawn (Defender Book 1) (23 page)

Zora put
her hand to her pendant, she had almost forgotten that important point. “That’s
right, it wasn’t hot but it was warm enough to get my attention. Why is that
Axel, when Clare, Samantha and Shax didn’t pick up anything?”

Axel
sighed. “I don’t know little Zora, this is a mystery to all of us.”

Before he
could continue the door opened and Emma entered, her gaze fixed on Axel. He
looked at her enquiringly. Her expression grave Emma approached Axel and
dropped a brief curtsey. “Lord Axel, we have received word that the police have
been called to a murder that is the same as the ones you are investigating.”

Her
statement electrified them all and everyone started talking at once – all but
Zora who felt sickened by this confirmation that her vision about a murder in
this city was correct. She had known, but her knowledge had done nothing to
stop it occurring.

Jake jumped
out of his chair. “We have to go now, we have to see what happened!”

Axel put
up his hand. “We can’t Jake, we can’t go there while the police are
investigating. I understand your concerns and I share them, but we cannot just
go to this scene. I will send the fairy guard to check it out as soon as I find
out exactly where it is.”

Zora
stared at Axel as his expression became distant and his silver aura began to
dance around him. After a pause he addressed them all. “The fairies that are
part of the police force have given me directions to the site, and have
confirmed the murder follows the same pattern as the others. They will
investigate further and keep me informed. We can do nothing else right now but
wait. When they say it is safe to do so we will go to the site. Zora, I will
require you to find out what you can, and Sara and Jane, I wish you also to
accompany us. I wish you both to observe Zora and I also wish you to search for
visions. This is an opportunity for you to experience the visions which will
make you both far more valuable to us.”

Both women
nodded, their expressions serious. Zora, still feeling sick and helpless, said
nothing. Axel stood and addressed them all. “Our visiting guardians and defenders,
if you wish you can go back to your residence, rest and change. I will call you
when it is time to leave. The rest of you may go to your rooms for the same
reason. We will go to the site when the police leave.”

Dismissed,
they all filed out and did as they were bid. Zora changed into comfortable
clothes and sat in the chair by the window to wait. Powers did likewise and
they sat in silence. It was not as long a wait as Zora expected when Axel sent
word that it was time to leave by mist travel. She sighed at the mode of
transport but made no comment. Cameron and James were not present, dispatched
to collect the other defenders and their guardians. Nobody was inclined to talk
and Axel quickly arranged them into little groups.

This time
Arthur and Powers, Axel and Zora went first, followed by Shax and Sunny, Clare
and Marcus and Samantha and Jake. They materialised in an alley next to the
murder site, Cameron and James arriving with their charges soon after. Relieved
that she felt only slight nausea - perhaps because it was only a short distance
to travel - Zora waited with the others while Cameron and James went to check
that it was safe to approach the site. Jake chafed at what he considered an unnecessary
delay. Zora could see why the wolves were often described as impatient and
impulsive.

Approaching
the site Zora felt nervous and queasy but apart from the police tape it didn’t
look any different to the alley they had just left. This time however the scent
of blood and fear filled her nostrils and she hesitated, noticing that Sara and
Jane were looking anxious beside her. Reasoning that such a recent murder would
make the visions very powerful she felt even less inclined to go further, but
as Sara and Jane rallied and continued she did so as well.

Zora
remembered that she had closed the bond and decided that was not a good idea at
this time so she opened it again. Immediately Powers reached for her hand and
held it protectively. She sighed a small sigh, all issues notwithstanding it
did feel good to be completely understood without any words being used.

They came
to a stop at the police tape and looked to Axel for instruction. He directed
the fairy guard to keep watch and told Sunny to stay close to Shax. Marcus and
Jake ranged themselves on either side of Axel, which left her and Powers, and
the visiting defenders and their guardians. It was a lot of bodies to fit into
the alley, Zora was relieved that there was very little pedestrian activity out
in the street.

Axel
looked at her. “Little Zora, please, we need you to go inside the police tape
and open your senses. For now Sara and Jane, please watch Zora. Powers, stay
close to her.”

Pushing
down her anxiety and fear Zora approached the police tape and slipped under.
She didn’t have to search for the exact spot, her sense of smell was guiding
her but even more she could feel the pull from her pendant. She closed her eyes
and followed where it led, stopping as it seemed to weigh heavier against her
skin. It flared then, hot, and the visions hit her with the force of a cyclone.
Zora swayed for an instant, her hair lifting and skin glowing. Sara, Jane and
Jake gasped at the sight she made, like a marble figure with swirling molten
hair but Zora did not hear, lost in the vision.

When it
stopped she collapsed to the ground, all her energy gone. Powers lifted her and
carried her to Axel, who placed his hand on her forehead. “She is fine Powers,
just drained from the force of the vision. Give her some of your jelly babies
when she comes to, but save some for the other ladies. Unless you guardians
have a supply of glucose?” He raised an eyebrow to Sam and Joe who each shook
their heads sadly.

Sara and
Jane approached the area together, hands linked. Before they entered Sara
looked to Axel. “Should we go together or separately Axel?”

He smiled
at her gently. “You may go together Sara, I merely wished you utilise this
rather unique opportunity to witness and then experience the process. You have
seen there is an energy drain, Powers has been prepared with jelly babies since
Zora’s first vision - your guardians will in future always carry a supply of
glucose with them. That is correct Joe and Sam?” Both guardians nodded soberly.

The women
nodded and without further words slipped under the tape and stepped to where
Zora had stood. Like Zora, they both swayed a little as the vision hit, and
their skin began to glow. Jane’s jet curls shone and danced on her shoulders,
while Sara’s strawberry locks glowed with soft fire. Zora, who had rallied
after eating a few jelly babies and absorbing a small amount of Powers energy
gasped as she watched, and turned to him. “Is that what I look like?”

He looked
down at her and smiled gently. “Actually you glow much brighter and your hair
looks like flame. You look like a fiery angel.”

She looked
from him back to the two women, noticing that Sam and Joe were standing close
to them with identical expressions of concern on their faces. The vision lasted
only a short time which made her wonder if her vision was as short a duration,
since it had seemed to last several minutes at least. Both women staggered as
their hair fell back to their shoulders and their skin lost that other-worldly
glow. Sam and Joe were by their sides instantly, supporting them to where
Powers was waiting with the jelly babies. As did Zora, they rallied quickly
after eating a few, although she was sure their guardians were also giving them
a burst of energy.

Jane
looked to Zora, shock still showing on her face. “Is that how it always is for
you? I don’t mean the vision, I mean the exhaustion afterwards, and man I could
eat three double quarter pounders from McDonalds!”

Sara
pushed her fringe off her forehead with a hand that still shook slightly. “And
Zora, how do you cope with all the other senses with the visions? It was bad
enough without them, I am in awe of your strength.”

Zora
smiled slightly and couldn’t help but steal a quick glance at Jake, who did not
try to hide his shock at what he had seen. She swallowed down a small spurt of
satisfaction at that and returned her attention to her fellow defenders. “Oh I
get absolutely ravenous! And yes, it is draining, even more so tonight, I think
because it is so recent. Axel, we should go back now and get some food into
these ladies before we compare visions. If that is what you wish us to do?”

Axel
nodded. “Yes, we will go back now, the kitchen has been instructed to prepare
protein rich food and you are correct little Zora, I am curious as to how
different defenders see the visions. It is quite rare that we have more than
one at the same site.” Clapping his hands he got everyone’s attention and
within seconds they had all vanished from the scene.

Back at
the house they gathered in the library, where the kitchen staff had brought a
delicious looking and smelling supper. The three women tucked in heartily, but
everyone else also appreciated the food. The night-time adventure had worked up
an appetite for them all, despite the tragic circumstances.

Once they
had finished and the food had been cleared away Axel addressed Zora. “Little
Zora, please tell us now what you have learned. Jane and Sara, we will hear
from you both next.”

Zora
reached for her teacup and took a fortifying swallow. This vision had been by
far the most vivid and disturbing. She wondered if she would ever get
desensitised to what she saw in the visions or if instead she was going to
develop sleeping problems. Pushing those concerns away she closed her eyes to
replay the vision in her mind before starting.

“I believe
the werewolf lured the man into the alley in her human form, I think I
witnessed the change.” She broke off and looked to Jake. “Is there light when
you change? I didn’t see it with Powers but he also didn’t completely change.”
She missed the look of respect Jake flashed to Powers, focused still on the
picture in her head.

Jake gazed
at her intently. “Tell me exactly what you saw Zora.”

“I saw her
briefly in her human form, but I couldn’t make out features because she was
changing. I could see the wolf outlined over her skin and a flash of intensely
bright light, and then she was on the ground. For a few seconds it was like the
wolf was rising up out of her body and then she just – changed. She was the
wolf, so quickly.”

Jake
nodded soberly. “You saw the change Zora, which is how it goes for wolves.”

Zora
looked at Axel. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make out much of her human form. Only
that she has blonde hair which makes sense since she is a golden wolf. And I
think she is pretty tall as a human as well.”

“No matter
little Zora, anything you see is more than we knew before.” Smiling at her Axel
gestured for her to continue.

Closing
her eyes again Zora went on. “The man was panicked of course when she changed
but she, well she herded him to where he was killed. She told him the same as
the others, that his death was important, that it would help to change the
world. She apologised to this one, she told him he was just at the wrong place
at the wrong time and that he should never try to pick up strange women. Then
she laughed a little and said that he wouldn’t be picking up another woman
again anyway so it was a lesson learned too late.”

Opening
her eyes Zora looked at Axel. “I guess she met him somewhere and decided he
would be her next victim.” She shuddered at the thought, closed her eyes and
finished recounting the vision. “She killed quickly this time. He suffered but
she didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as last time. She slit his throat and he
bled to death. She took his blood while he was still alive, then sat beside him
and waited for him to die before she took all the body parts.”

Zora
didn’t recount the helpless expression in his eyes as he died, or the strange
shimmer around his body in his final seconds. She didn’t try to explain the way
all expression left those eyes once he was dead, or the odd flash of light that
surrounded him and hovered over the werewolf before disappearing. That was more
fodder for her nightmares.

“She took
the body parts as before, and put them and the blood into the same esky. She
patted his arm and then she left but she didn’t go into the street. She went
towards the end of the alley but I didn’t see how she left, the vision ended.”
Zora didn’t say how the werewolf seemed again to stare straight at her before
striding away. Axel had seemed certain she couldn’t really see Zora and she
didn’t want to worry Powers. Opening her eyes she met the intense ones of Axel.
“I’m sorry Axel, the vision ended too soon and I didn’t see which way she
went.”

Smiling
gently at her Axel shook his head dismissively. “It’s ok little Zora, she
probably went to the end of the alley to change back to human and then left
without anyone seeing anything unusual. Little Zora, did the music play again?”

“Yes Axel,
and this time it was definitely a country style of tune but I didn’t recognise
it.”

Shrugging,
Axel asked another question. “And did you see where she will go next?”

Zora
nodded. “I did Axel but I’m not sure I read it correctly.”

“Tell us
what you saw little Zora.”