Shifters; Wrath of Dragons

Chapter Nine-Mary- Hope has a plan

I stepped into the stables with everyone else at Hope's request,still unsure of why we were there. "Hope?"I called cautiously. a stall door opened and she walked out,in jeans,a tee,riding boots,a helmet, and with a stuffed backpack on her shoulders. behind her walked Rocky,fully tacked in Endurance tack. that sent red flags up in my mind. Rocky NEVER allowed herself to be fully tacked. "uh,Hope?"

"yes?"she smiled.

I almost laughed,but I restrained myself. "what are you doing?"

"here's the thing. I called you here because I need help. I'm going after Maya."I flinched as Mom,Dad, Mark and the others started objecting. "However,"Hope continued loudly,silencing them. "I'm not going alone."more arguments and Hope raised her voice again,with her hand in the air,trying to quiet them. "However,"she said again. "not all of you are coming with me."

"The hell we're not."Dad retorted.

Hope sighed. "I need you guys to trust me,okay?"

"if we're not all going,why are we out here?"Dylan asked,sounding annoyed.I turned on my heel. "Dylan."I snapped. he shrugged. "what? what's the point of having us all out here,if it's not to organize a mass hunt. if it's process of elimination,forget it. I'm out." he turned to leave. I gaped after him. since when is Dylan so dismissive of my little sister? angry,I started to go after him,but someone else beat me to it. Mark grabbed him by the back of the collar,stopping him midstep. "chill,dude. Hope's not stupid,and,if she's anything like the rest of her family,nothing she does is pointless. so shut up,"he turned Dylan around and shoved him forward. "and listen." Dylan scowled. when he looked at me and saw my own expression,I sent him a clear message; we'll talk later. then I turned back to Hope and nodded to her to continue. Hope puffed out a breath and shot a grateful smile over my shoulder,I assume at Mark. I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. she obviously liked him. "so,the reason,"she glared at Dylan for a second. "you guys are all out here,is because you're all a big part of this. Mary,you and Valgoth are the leaders,the front  line. you draw the allies,but you also draw fire,no pun intended. you're staying here."I straightened up,my arms dropping to my sides. she held up a hand before I could voice my protest. "it's too dangerous. not only for Valgoth and you, but for me and,most importantly,for Maya. yes,you would be a big help,but you could also be a huge risk." she has a point, Valgoth sing-songed. shut it,Gramps.

"Mom,Dad,you need to stay,too."she held up her hand to silence them,too,and to my surprise, Ryder obeyed the hand gesture. "and don't even think about arguing. I have your stubbornness and determination."she looked at Dylan. "you're staying,too. mostly because I don't really like you." she glanced at Kio and Cassidee,who I just then noticed were standing side by side,and... holding hands? I raised an eyebrow at Cassidee now,unable to control the urge,and she blushed a little and shrugged. "You two,as I understand it,are key backup for Mary. I wouldn't leave her here without you."then she looked past me and I turned a little to look at Mark. "you're coming."his eyebrows shot up. "I need a Shifter. and you're the only one I actually think of as a friend."he nodded. she looked at Raven,hesitation in her expression. I was sure she was going to tell her she was staying,that Mark was going to be her only backup,but, "you're coming,too."

"me?"

"yes."

"why?"

"wait a sec,"I said. "you're taking my best friend,but not me?"

not to mention Mark,who she said herself she was having nightmares about him dropping her off a cliff. I shifted my weight to one foot and didn't say anything. Hope came up to me,looking me right in the eye. "I'm going because Maya being taken was because of me. Raven and Mark are coming with me because Mark knows Maya,and Raven... I just get the feeling I'm gonna need her. and,they're your friends. you trust them,right?"I nodded. she smiled. "now, the rest of you,well,you're here because you need to know what  I have in mind if you're going to help Mary, and me, from here. if this doesn't work and Helgoth takes me,Mary is your only hope of stopping Helgoth."

"what are you--"

"In order to take Helgoth and whoever took Maya by surprise,we're going by horseback,cutting through the countryside. you guys,meanwhile,are going to put calls out to all the Hunter Houses, families,and communities to keep an eye out for... Cass,what did you say his name was?"

"Baen."Cassidee responded.

"can you describe him?"

"I can do one better. there's a picture of him in my pack. it's old,from the nineties,but he still looks the same."

"okay,Cassidee,go get the picture,make copies or whatever,just make sure everyone knows what he looks like,that he's dangerous,and that he has Maya. Kio,go with her,help with the copies."they nodded and walked away. "I'm going to rescue Maya. after i get her out,we're going to bring the fight here. in the meantime, gather the allies again,fortify the gates,make sure everything is as secure as it can be. okay? with any luck,I'll see you in a few weeks."I turn to my new Hunting companions. "get your horses ready. we leave in an hour."

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short but overdue. sorry,guys! but,the good news is,I'm getting closer to something I've been planning for quite a while (at first I didn't know it was going to be in THIS book). :) it took so long because I was trying be all elaborate with Hope's plan,but that fell two eggs short of an omelet. anyway, I hope you enjoy. I don't know how well/often I'm gonna be able to write for a couple of days because I have a head cold or something. but I'll try. like I said, I have (actually,a few) things planned.