((VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER))
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"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion."
-- Alexander the Great
10
Lyla rumbled as we approached the woman. I did my best to shush her. I didn’t understand what she was freaking out over, but I couldn’t have her as a distraction. I pushed her into the back of my mind as best I could.
I hadn’t known what to expect. But, I was not expecting her. The elf’s back was to us. I noticed a long dark green dress that corkscrewed down her body and the woodsy fabric clung to her form in a way that had me thinking it must have been custom made. She wasn’t slender or overweight, but shapely. I could already tell that she had curves I was envious of. Her long raven hair was curled and, even so, managed to reach her lower back. What caught my eye the most was that she was tall for a woman, the same height as Connor.
And Connor was tall.
The closer we stepped, the more details I could see. At first it seemed as if there was a light on, illuminating the elf from behind. As I stepped closer I realized, to my amazement, that it wasn’t another lantern as I expected. Her body was what gave off the strange radiance. Her dark tanned skin had an aura of luminosity and power washing over it and filling the small space where she stood. The sight was overpowering. Did the magic do this to her? I almost felt the silly notion to bow or kneel or something. Surely someone this magnificent must be owed some sort of respect?
Connor had no such reservations. He opened his mouth to speak just as she turned to face us. Before he could utter even a word, the striking woman’s eyes found us.
“Ah, Alexandra, the Defender of People, and Mr. O’Riley, my Courageous One. I have long awaited the day you two should come to see me. It takes but a guess to know why you are here.”
The woman’s accent was impossible to place. It was French and yet somehow Spanish as well. It was strange and unlike anything I had ever heard, but beautiful. Her piercing look was the only thing more entrancing than her harmonious voice. What made her blue eyes so strange was the fact that her dark complexion and facial features suggested that she was a Native North American. She had high cheek bones and a defined nose. I vaguely recalled Martin telling us about the large number of Cree in Canada, but could First Nation peoples have such blue eyes?
Connor’s blue eyes reminded me of soft rustling waves hitting the shore at dusk. Hers reminded me of a writhing flame of blue fire. I remembered how I thought Sarah’s presence was like standing in a warm sun beam. In Madame Hectate’s presence, I was an ant under a magnifying glass. If I moved too far to the left, or too far to the right, I would get burned.
While I was marveling at this new being, Connor responded, not the least bit shocked that she had somehow called us out by name.
“Madame Hectate, we have come to ask about a prophecy my mother has told us of. It involves Alexandra and me.”
YOU ARE READING
Shifter Rising {Book 1}
General Fiction“I-Uh…No, of course not.” I stammered. I looked down to the ground at the elf’s feet. Her scolding manner was like a parent reprimanding her unruly child in a church service. I was the child. For the first time curiosity tinted the beautiful woman’s...
