Interesting New Developments

RHIANNON

Unfortunately, there was no flight leaving for Iceland for three days. I spent each day trying to keep Isaac calm and relaxed.

Needless to say, I can hardly walk today.

We’re finally able to leave Canada this morning. The quick five-hour flight brings an uncomfortable mixture of relief and nervousness.

I’m so glad to be leaving Canada and moving toward more answers, but we’re flying into the unknown. We don’t know what is waiting for us in Iceland.

I can feel the same emotions from my travel companions. They each feel a level of stress that I don’t understand.

Dealing with fairies, vampires, and werewolves is not something that I know about. I can see the danger, but as a person among these beasts I’m mostly useless.

They each feel a responsibility to protect me in a way that I can’t protect them.

As we step off of the plane at the Keflavík International Airport, I can’t help but look around.

The airport is so different from the ones in Las Vegas and Canada. It seems so much smaller and more relaxed.

The geometric glass ceiling is beautiful. I look around like a curious child while the others appear much more alert and serious.

Rhodes and Madelyn are at a car rental kiosk, and they appear to be arguing with the attendant. Madelyn steps away from the counter.

“Um, Alpha, they only have two available choices and both are small, European cars.”

“European is fine,” he says.

“I don’t mean an Audi or BMW, Jacko. They have two Citroen C4s,” she tells him quietly.

“If that’s the only option, we have to take what we can get.”

She turns back and rejoins Rhodes at the counter. After a few moments they return with a set of keys.

As we walk through the empty parking lot, two cars catch my eye. A laugh bursts through my chest. Madelyn is laughing quietly beside me, trying to hide it.

There is no way Isaac and Rhodes are going to fit in this car!

The small red car has four doors, but otherwise looks like a coupé. Madelyn and I slide into the backseat. My legs are short; even when Isaac slides his seat all the way back, I have room.

Madelyn is much taller than I and she and Rhodes have to compromise so that one of them is not completely squished. They both look very uncomfortable.

When the GPS puts our time of arrival at two hours from now, there is an audible groan from each of them.

The drive is quiet except for the occasional aggravated huff. I know that they are all cramped. I’ve never been so happy to be so short.

Iceland is beautiful but very isolated. Since departing from the airport we’ve been basically alone. I feel like we’re the only people here.

“Sure is a lot of nothing,” Madelyn says, reading my mind.

Rhodes lets out an uncomfortable sigh. “Yeah, hopefully we find something that makes this trip worth it.”

Isaac grunts in agreement. Everyone is so grumpy.

Madelyn starts to say something, but it sounds far away. I’m suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness as I stare out the window.

“Stop!” I hear myself scream, but I don’t recognize my own voice.

Isaac slams his foot on the brake, and the car halts in the middle of the road.

Without thinking, I throw the door open and run from the car.

I fall to my knees just as Isaac reaches me.

“What is this place?” my voice breaks, and I feel tears on my cheeks. Everything feels like I’m watching it from outside my body.

“Annie? What’s wrong?” Isaac is frantic. I feel his hands steadying my shaking shoulders.

“I-I’m not sure. I’ve been here before, Isaac. Something about this place…” I rise shakily to my feet and touch a strange tree on the side of the road.

The tree is dead. It almost looks like it’s been struck by lightning. There is a large crack through it, causing it to splinter.

A sob rips through my throat. I feel the weight of a deep sadness. Something happened here, something happened to me, I can feel it.

“Dauði, dauði, dauði…” I hear myself repeating over and over again.

“What does that mean?” Madelyn whispers from behind me.

After a moment, Rhodes hands Isaac his phone. Isaac looks at the screen and looks up at me.

“Death,” his voice sounds strained. “It means death.”

My chest heaves as I try to regain composure. I can’t shake this feeling.

Suddenly, they are all on high alert. I don’t have time to react as Isaac grabs me tightly against his chest and sprints toward the car.

Rhodes jumps into the driver’s seat and begins to drive before Madelyn can even pull her door shut.

Isaac is in the backseat with me, crushing me to his chest. I can feel his heart pounding against my back.

Looking out the rear window, I see them.

In the distance are figures running at an incredible speed. We race down the road toward an area where the road cuts down the center of a forest.

“Vampires,” Isaac answers my unasked question.

They are gaining on us. I didn’t know they could run like this. We speed down the desolate road. I can see them running beside the car, just inside the tree line.

They are sprinting so fast that they are actually outrunning this pathetic car.

Ahead, there is movement on the road and something jolts up from the asphalt. It takes a second to register that it’s spikes.

Rhodes hits the brakes hard, but it’s too late—we run over the spikes, popping all four tires. The car skids to a violent stop. Isaac, Rhodes, and Madelyn jump out of the car.

Isaac stays close to the car as Rhodes and Madelyn shift quickly. Loud howling rips through the air. Isaac is angry; I can see the rage in his eyes as he watches the vampires close in.

I can’t look away as he sprints toward them at a rapid speed. Just before he reaches them, he leaps in the air and shifts as he lands on top of one of them.

I feel like I can’t catch a breath. Everyone is fighting against a very powerful enemy and I’m sitting, uselessly, in the car. They are defending me, protecting me.

Just off the road, I see Rhodes rip the head from one vampire. His wolf shakes the lifeless head in his mouth before dropping it, sending it rolling down the road. Immediately, the body begins to melt.

Isaac and Madelyn are fighting against a particularly large vampire. He is probably as tall as Isaac in human form.

He grabs Madelyn around the neck and begins to squeeze. Isaac shifts and wraps his arm around his neck, pulling at his head.

He releases Madelyn, and she spins around, shifting, and kicks him in the chest. He instinctively jerks forward, giving Isaac the leverage he needs to remove his head.

Rhodes yells something, causing everyone to turn. I see two figures running through the trees. Isaac and Madelyn join Rhodes, preparing themselves for a fight.

From the corner of my eye, I see something. Two more figures are running through the treeline on the other side of the street, behind them.

I jump out of the car and scream at Isaac, trying to alert him that more are running up behind them.

Just then, something else catches my eye, a glint in the sunlight. I’m not sure why, but I immediately know what it is.

Two shots ring out before my feet move on instinct. I’m sprinting toward Isaac as I see him jerk slightly, a bullet hitting his chest.

Everything moves in slow motion. Rhodes and Madelyn fight while Isaac moves toward me.

The sound of shots pops through the air as I get within arm’s length of Isaac. I suddenly feel a burning in my upper back.

For a moment, I think I’ve been shot, but then I realize that it feels good, like a strange sort of release. Two more shots ring out and then, silence.

I feel my eyes open, only to find Isaac staring wide-eyed at the space around us.

I tighten my grip on his arms and search him for injuries. There is blood on his shirt where a bullet grazed his side. He seems otherwise unharmed.

“Are you all right?” I grab his face. He isn’t looking at me, he doesn’t answer me.

I look up, following his gaze. We are in a strange sort of cocoon made of black feathers.

He reaches up softly and touches one of the feathers, and I feel it as if he just touched my arm. I fall back on my ass in shock.

The feathers move away, and I can see Rhodes and Madelyn standing over melting vampires. They are staring at me like I’ve grown a second head.

I look behind me, and a scream erupts from my throat. The black feathers are huge wings that are coming out of my back. I jump up quickly and run a few steps like I’m trying to escape them.

Isaac grabs me and pulls my face into his hands.

“Calm down,” he says quietly as he pulls me into his arms. I take a few deep breaths with him. Everyone is silent for a moment, my body trembling in Isaac’s arms.

“I fucking knew it,” Rhodes whispers into the silence.