Unhappily Ever After

Chapter 18 - Beyond the Dawn

Lee's throat bobbed as he swallowed. A second later, his left hand went to the gearstick and we were slowing, sloooowing, then sliding into a side road. Barely five minutes passed before I could see a red and white barrier across the tarmac and two men leaning against it.

Lee dipped the accelerator reflexively. "Straight through?"

"We're not rogues," I reminded him. "We're messengers."

He began to slow for a second time, cautiously, as if he thought I might tell him I was joking at any moment. I was too preoccupied with emptying the contents of the air freshener into the car to notice. I had barely snatched my hands back into my lap when we came to a tentative stop beside the two men, who peered at us with sleepy frowns.

Lee rolled down the window. One of the men approached, not overly suspicious but certainly curious. I brushed against his mind and he didn't seem to notice, so I dared to slip into the antechamber and begin planting my memories of Silver Lake scent. With any luck, he would think they were coming from his nose, not the friendly neighbourhood mind-tapper.

"Joe and Alex from Silver Lake," I announced. "We need to speak to your Alpha."

"We weren't expecting you," the man said slowly.

"It's an unofficial visit. There are some sensitive issues to discuss," I said, but they exchanged frowns. "Y'know ... the situation with Lowland."

Finally, I was rewarded with a nod. "Oh. Right, sure. We all think it's bullshit, the way they declared. A hundred witnesses would swear up and down that Ivan was at the spring barbeque yesterday — but are they interested? No. I mean, we'll thrash them, of course, but it's such a waste..."

Declared what? ... War? Surely my plan couldn't have worked out that easily. Had the Lowland Alpha found my note? Had he assumed I was a Lloyd, like Kat had? I'd need all the answers if I was going to play this game.

"Waste of time and lives, yeah," I replied lazily. "Could we go through, now? We're supposed to be back by lunchtime."

The men looked at each other, shrugged and the first sent the barrier juddering upwards while the second froze in a mind-linking trance.

"Stick to the road," he told us. "Someone will be waiting to escort you into the pack house."

And so we drove through the barrier and into the heart of New Dawn territory. I sat back and enjoyed the scenery — ash woodland and smooth, swooping terrain, with the occasional glimpse of flockie houses. Lee, however, sat and simmered in disbelief.

"He didn't even sniff me," he muttered. "Didn't even take a bloody whiff of the strange bloody strangers. If it's that easy to get in the front door, why doesn't everyone do it? Are you lucky or something, Llewellyn?"

"Or something," I agreed, feeling a grin tugging at my mouth.

Walls loomed ahead. While New Dawn had a few houses dotted around their territory, the majority of their population lived safe and sound in a protected village at its heart, or so Tom had told me. Raiders were forced to choose between easy, meagre pickings in the outlying houses or turning up with enough muscle to get inside the village itself. Hence why Dafydd had amassed thirty rogues to raid the place.

But the main gate had been opened for us, and there was a man waiting to wave us into a guest parking spot. Lee stopped the car but seemed reluctant to actually get out. I set the example by cheerfully clambering onto the tarmac and slamming my door.

"Right this way, sir," our guide beamed. I returned his smile automatically and began seeping Silver Lake scent into his mind, too. "Will your friend be accompanying us?"