Secrets

Book 5: Omen of War Preview

After finding Vivien, April struggles to return home and grasp the startling truth of what has happened. Decisions are made that make April rethink the one person she always thought she knew. Meanwhile, Vivien struggles to decide between finding Smoke before finding April to go back home to Alina Island and the surrounding Islands. With April off finding Vivien and return to Alina Island with her, Alex is forced to witness the startling truth to the one person he looked up to growing up. Alex is forced to make decisions that could destroy his life or end up with those he cares about dying as a result. Will the three of them be able to save Arilis from the hidden tyrant or will Arilis and her people be destroyed?

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Chapter 1

Vivien Heartstring (P.O.V)

In all the years I have been stuck in Michael Winter's fortress prison, I never once expected this young woman, the daughter of Michael Winter and Sarah, to find me here. She had found me relatively quickly. I had spent the last few years trying to reach out to her and get her to come to rescue me. I had almost given up my hopes of ever escaping and then the sounds of the battle going on outside drew my attention. This young woman has risked everything to come to my aid. I was touched by the devotion she had to follow through with her decision to find me.

She approached me and I noticed the wolf fighting the vampire behind her. He smelled strongly like a werewolf and fresh blood. My chapped lips turned into a gracious smile as I shifted in my cage to look at the young woman before me.

"Are you Vivien Heartstring, the woman who's been persistently appearing to me for years?" She asked as she took a few steps up to my cage.

I opened my mouth to respond, but my voice was weak, and I could not speak properly just yet. I sighed and nodded my head. She grabbed the cage door and opened it before holding out a hand to me. I noticed mud caked to her feet and her legs were scratched up. The smell of dried blood wafted up from her, hinting that she must have walked barefooted.

As I crawled out of the cage, I noticed her stomach and my eyes widened. If I had known she was pregnant, I wouldn't have been trying to lead her here. As I watched her, someone tossed two swords over to her. She caught them and handed me a remarkably familiar sword. I held it in my hands, a look of shock on my face. Erilas had been returned to me. I thought it had been left behind in Arilis's underground armory. I took the sword out of its sheath, admiring Smoke's glorious work on this masterpiece of a sword. Every etched in gold detail was still there and it looks like it was cleaned and sharpened every day to keep it at its best.

I looked up to find the young woman holding a sword in her hand. It looked like a sword Smoke would make, but more dignified and worthy of someone of the Griffin warrior ranks. I noticed the blue and gold tiger stripes engraved onto the sword and I immediately knew it was Smoke's handcrafted sword she was making for me so long ago.

I looked at the young woman and as I was about to attempt to speak, the werewolf-smelling wolf appeared, blood dripping down its scruff. When the wolf turned into a man, I watched warily, my hold on my sword tightening as if I had never once stopped training. It was as if I still remembered those days outside Arilis, closer to the small seaside fort called Fortha. We had large training grounds over there for archery practice, dueling with wooden swords, dueling with fist to fist practices, and even teaching the young to change into their tiger forms. I miss those days a lot.

"Vivien, can you move? We need to get out of Michael's fortress and return to Arilis." The young woman spoke.

I nodded in agreement and stood up, stretching my tired body out. I followed the young woman, letting her lead me away from the nightmare I have been living for many years. She led me down to the courtyard where all the sounds of fighting were coming from. All around me werewolves and vampires were fighting each other. The werewolves here were from two different packs based on their fighting styles from the looks of it. One group was launching at the vampires and then leaping back into the circle of them and letting the next circle leap forward while they turned and attacked the vampires attempting to get close. The other group was fighting the vampires solely on their own.

The young woman led me around the fighting werewolves and vampires, attempting to lead me out the front gates of Michael's fortress. A few wolves let out pain-filled yelps and I watched in shock as they landed nearby at odd angles. The werewolves were losing and fast. I grabbed the young woman by the arm and pointed to the werewolves and motioned for them to go through the gate too. She stared at me confused and I sighed in frustration. I opened my mouth, not used to speaking besides the daily screaming from being tortured.

"T-Tell the W-Werewolf P-People to retreat... N-now." I instructed her as I looked back at the courtyard.

"I can't do that. Nichols and Xalva are the only ones they will listen to. As their Alphas, they can only command their packs to retreat. We need to go. We need to get Smoke and leave as quickly as we can." The young woman said as she grabbed my hand and began to pull me towards the gate.

"No. I won't su-subject them to h-having to sit here a-and not being able to get out and get fr-free. I am not... I'm not going to make the same mistake twice." I snapped, my voice cracking only to grow firm as I refused to leave.

I turned back to face the fighting just as a vampire tossed a werewolf aside and looked right at me. The face of the man who tortured me for years was brutally making his way through the werewolves. His sword made by Smoke was in his hand and he was not wearing a shirt at all. A pained look filled my gaze. I failed this child more than any other human I raised under my wing as one of my very own Tiger-humans.

His sword was black with red marking etched into it. In the spot of the gem sat a crimson red ruby that now was cracked. I remember cracking that sword's gem the first time I realized what road he was going down.

We had been sparring that day and I was shocked by how quickly he was learning new moves and techniques to use with his sword. I had been suspicious of how quick he had learned those moves, but what had shocked me the most was when he used a familiar move that a vampire had used when I last had crossed blades with them. I had been shocked that he was willing to go to the vampires who had attacked Arilis relentlessly and had even killed his mother, Katherine Winter. She was such a good friend to me and to lose her to the vampires her son was now part of when he had feared them so long ago broke my heart.

I was jarred from my thoughts as the young woman's blade was raised and I was pulled behind her. The werewolf who had been with her when she rescued me was standing there in front of her growling at Michael with another wolf beside him that was also growling at Michael. Michael raised his sword towards me and the girl and that is when I realized he had no intention of letting us leave here alive.

"Where do you think you are going, Vivien and April?" He snarled out as he glared at us.