Chapter 5

The doors to the SUV opened as everyone got out and looked at the desolate town in front of them. There was a dark overlay of clouds that covered the barren place. Whisper Hallow was known as a ghost town, one so scary that even the locals did not go near it. Tabitha turned and looked behind her, seeing the sun shine brightly in the clear blue sky. She turned back and looked up again at the gloomy air. A shiver rolled through her as a breeze passed by and whispered, “Go away,” the words seeming to come from the air all around. Marco growled as he felt the tremor travel through his mate. Gretchen screamed as she was picked up and thrown across the yard. Colson was able to break her fall as she landed in his arms before hitting the ground. Deak snarled as a mist circled him and Vita; he pulled her closer to his side as they tried to force them apart. “Leave this place; you’re not welcomed here.” “I’m beginning to understand why the locals steer clear of this place,” Tabitha said as she tried to shake the feeling of fear off herself. “That’s enough!” Madeline yelled. The wind stopped, and everything went silent. Madeline made her way to the front of the group and faced the other end of town, which was a dead end. She lifted her hands as she whispered an incantation. An invisible force shield started to appear as a figure fought against it. The figure tried to resist being pulled through the barrier, but it was useless. Madeline continued to chant as Zachary stepped up and joined her to help intensify her power. A dark-cloaked figure emerged before them. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to summon me this way, witch,” the cloaked man spat out to Madeline. “We need you to open the door to Silver City,” Madeline demanded. “State your business in the city,” he questioned. “We have a meeting with the faction council,” Madeline answered. “Name?” “Madeline Warren.” “Ah, it’s been a long time since you’ve visited.” Madeline could feel everyone’s eyes shift to her but kept her composure as she nodded in agreement. The cloaked man chuckled at the movement. He turned around as he pulled out his staff from beneath his cloak, then moved the staff in a circular motion and chanted softly to himself. A whirlpool was created in front of them as the entrance to Silver City was revealed. There was a slight uneasiness that shifted throughout the group. Madeline turned to face everyone standing behind her. “I need to warn you about Silver City.” “What about it?” Tabitha asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t give in to the temptation that the city could offer you; it’s only a ruse to get you never to leave,” Madeline warned. “But I thought….” Tabitha started. “The witch is right; stay focused on why you’ve come to visit the city. Only then will it allow you to leave. Come now; the portal only stays open for a short time,” the cloaked man told them. Madeline felt her nerves clench with uneasiness but shook the feeling away. She needed to keep her mind clear so she could be strong for all of them. She remembered how the sparkling place played on their visitors' emotions and wouldn’t risk losing any of them to its allure and empty promises. A part of her wished she could tell them all to stay behind so that she could talk with the council on her own, but she knew that none of them would allow that. Madeline took the first step forward toward the swirling prism. “Follow me and stay close,” she told them as she continued to make her way toward the entrance. As she approached the dark figure, he whispered, “It’s nice to see you again, Maddy. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back through.” Madeline didn’t let his words spook her and continued to make her way to the entrance. Zachary followed closely behind his mother and held Ruby’s hand. As he passed by the cloaked man, Zachary threatened, “You mess with my mother, you mess with me.” The man only smirked at the threat. Marco intertwined his fingers into Tab’s and asked, “Ready to see what the city life is like?” Tab nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Tabitha was ready to experience something new and different. It would be a fresh change from going to college or dealing with everything they had been through for the last few months. They both walked into the portal and disappeared. Gretchen looked at Colson with sadness in her eyes. “I guess this is where we separate,” she said softly. Colson looked at the path swirling before him to the entrance to the unknown. He knew nothing about this Silver place, and from what the older woman was saying, it wasn’t a place he wanted Gretchen to be alone in. Colson wanted to spend more time getting to know her; he wasn’t ready to leave. “I’m going with you.” Gretchen looked up at him and smiled. “Really?” Colson nodded as he wrapped his arm around his mate, kissed her forehead, and guided her through the entrance. It would only be for a few days, and then he would be back. He would call his pack once they got situated, and everything would be fine. Vita and Deak stared as their friends entered the place that hopefully held the spell that would break the curse on Deak. Vita sucked in a breath. “You ready?” Deak growled at the swirling motion in front of him. Vita rubbed Deak’s arm to calm his wolf down. He felt both the pleasure and pain of that simple touch. Deak didn’t want to admit to his mate that her touch pained him as much as it did. He would endure it; he had to. Deak grunted and nodded in agreement as they pushed forward, heading into the white swirl. The dark figure lowered his staff in front of Deak. Deak looked down at the staff and then at the dark cloak; he raised his brow at the man. “Not everything is as it seems in there. Trust your instincts and trust the ones closest to you. They will lead you to the answers you seek,” he told them. Deak nodded. “Thank you,” Vita said as the man lifted his staff for them to proceed. Before Vita took another step, she turned and looked back at Stan, who was still leaning against the vehicle. “Aren’t you coming with us?” Stan shook his head. “I’ll be waiting here upon your return. There is nothing in there for me.” Vita looked at him, confused for a moment but then turned back as Deak nudged her forward with his hand upon her back. “We must go.” Vita sighed and said, “Silver City, here we come,” before she and Deak disappeared and the portal closed.