The Shadow That Binds

I am sorry for the long delay i could bore you with the details but I don't think that would be a good idea anyway my editor and i are working to get the rest of this series out

enjoy! feedback is always appreciated the good and the bad.

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"What do you mean there on they're way here?" grandfather asked.

"Damien told me that they're leaving the castle and on there way here. We need to get every one out of here now!" I said.

Leo nodded. A guard came running into the hall.

"Leo were surrounded we can't get out!" he said.

"Yes we can! Get every one to the basement now!" I said.

Grandfather just looked at me. "The basement?" he said.

I nodded and responded, "How do you think I got out of here in the first place?"

Leo just looked at me and asked, "How did you get out? I've been wondering that my self."

I said, "There's a secret passage in the basement. We can get every one out through there."

He nodded. I made my way out into the hall grandfather followed me. I grabbed a torch and headed down to the basement. I could hear Leo ordering everyone to the basement. We got there first.

Grandfather looked around, "Sara, there's nothing here." he said.

"Do you have a dagger?" I asked.

He nodded and handed me a small dagger with a wolf head on it. I headed over to where the crack in the wall was and slid the dagger in and pushed the door open. Grandfather just stood slack jawed at me "you were saying?" I said.

By this time Leo and the rest of the people were in the basement. Leo just looked at the door.

"Get everyone in! I take it you know Daniel yes?" I asked.

He nodded, "Why do you ask?" he asked.

"He's in here. Tell him that I sent you and the rest of the people. I need to stay behind to make sure the door gets closed. When we get in I will tell you what I want you to do and what you need to tell me okay?" I said as he ran past me he nodded I waited until the last person went through the door which happened to be Caroline. She gave me a confused look. When we were both in I shut the door and made sure it was tight then went after Leo and grandfather.

When I got to the top of the tunnel Daniel was talking to Leo. " Daniel I'm sorry for intruding but we need safe passage out of the palace." I said.

He nodded.

I continued, "Leo I want you to take the rest of the people and get them to the castle. Tell Damien to get the army ready for battle. We need both the werewolves and vampires to join forces to beat James and Claire but I need to know where did you and Damien come from?"

He looked at me "You mean the village we grew up in?"

I nodded. "It's about three hundred miles north of here. There's nothing there now why do you want to go there?" he asked.

"I need to know how Damien came into being. He wont tell me. Even through our bond as I have asked him but he won't answer me. Can you tell me?" I asked. "And, There is one other thing, I don't know its importance but I will tell you in the village there are runes with strange symbols on them there in the graveyard at the back of the village"

I looked at him "do you know what there used for?" I asked.

He just shook his head.

I looked at Daniel. "Did john ever tell you where he came from?" I asked him.

"It was the one thing he never spoke of as if it pained him to say anything. I asked him many times but I never got an answer." he said.

I nodded. "Okay let's go Daniel. I need you to go with the werewolves. They will take you to the castle okay?"

He nodded and we headed to the water fall.

"Follow the river and it will take you to the castle. Don't worry about me, I will be fine!" I said to grandfather.

I jumped into the water but Leo clung onto me. I whispered to him, "Leo you need to let me go!" I said he shook his head.

"Find our mother, she will tell you everything. I didn't want to say anything in front of your grandfather." he said as he let me go. I nodded. I followed the river until it slowed then I swam to the bank and pulled my self out of the water.

Leo looked at me I nodded and started to head north it took me hours to dry off. I wondered what Leo meant "find our mother", how could their mother be alive? No matter, I had to find her. For a few days I walked north wondering how long it would be for James to realise that everyone was missing from the palace.

After days of walking I came across a few run down cottages. It looked like it could have been a village of some sorts. I walked among the cottages. I walked into one. It was a small house. There were carvings on the wall. I conjured a flame in my hand. It was the strange writing that Damien had read in the cave.

"Damien I need your help!" I said though our bond.

"What's wrong, is the baby okay?" he asked.

"The baby's fine I have came across that writing that we found in the cave. I can't read it." I said through the bond.

"Okay, do your best to pronounce it for me." he said.

I did my best and Damien laugh through the bond.

"Okay, from what I think you have told me it says that the wolf is the vampire." he said.

That just confused me. "That doesn't make sense Damien. Please just tell me, where do you come from?" I said.

He sighed, "I honestly don't know where I come from that's I can't tell you." he said before he blocked him self from me. I sighed the wolf is the vampire? What the hell did that mean? It made no sense. I walked out of the house and looked around. It looked like there had been some sort of disaster as there was piles of rubble and some houses were completely demolished. At the back there was the graveyard that Leo told me about. I looked at the symbols. It was a triquetra. It was over all of the gravestones. I heard footsteps coming form behind me.

I turned expecting James or Claire but it wasn't; it was an woman draped in a black cloak with the triquetra fastening the cloak. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" she asked.

"I don't know her name but she has two sons, John and Thomas."

As I said this her eyes widened. "What do you want with them? If you have come to harm them I will kill you!" she said.

I put my hands up. "I'm not here to harm them. John is my mate. I need to find his mother."

She seemed to soften a little. "You're his mate?" she asked.

I nodded.

"I'm his mother; you had better come with me then."

I nodded and followed her into one of the houses. She had a fire lit and what smelled like stew. My stomach rumbled very loudly and the baby gave me a good kick as if to say it was hungry. I winced at the pain.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, it's just that my baby likes to kick me is all."

She looked at me as she handed me a bowl of stew. "You're with child?"

I nodded.

"Eat, you'll feel better." she said.

We ate in silence.

Finally she asked, "Tell me, who are you and what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"My name's Sara and I need to find how and where John became a vampire." I said.

She looked at me, "Did he not tell you?"

"He says he doesn't know. Thomas said the same thing." I said.

She looked at me, "That's not strictly true. The boys went through something none of us could ever imagine." she said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The boys were sleeping in the back room. My husband and I were sitting in here when they came. Devils they were! They tore our village apart destroyed the houses, the farms, and the livestock. Everything! The boys and my husband went out to fight them with the rest of the village men. Those shadow creatures killed my husband and took the boys captive. When they came back they were different, strange, they weren't my boys anymore. They both had an insatiable lust for meat and every month they would go off in the woods doing what I don't know but then John changed even more they were in the middle of the town centre. Someone had been stabbed, or something to that effect. John had to drink their blood. After that both boys left the village and I never saw them again." she stopped there.

"I'm so sorry. Tell me, what do you know of the symbols on the graveyard?" I asked

"They're an ancient symbol. It speaks of a legend that in the darkest hour of our land three will come forward with the power to destroy the shadow! But they never came." she said.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your husband and sons. John is a good man, as is his brother." I said.

She looked at my stomach, "Is the child Johns?" she asked.

I nodded yes.

"I always wanted him to take a wife, a good one. What exactly are you trying to do?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. We're at war and I need to find out where john came from and who these three are." I said.

She looked at me and asked, "why?".

"Because we're at war with the shadow creatures. Do you know of Alana and Claire?" I asked.

"Of course! They're from this village as well. I had hoped that john would marry Alana but it never happened." she said.

I nodded. I could hear footsteps coming from outside.

"Are there more people in this village?" I asked.

She shook her head.

I looked out of the window of the house and Claire and James. I stood to go outside.

"Look, I don't know if this will help but find Alana's grave it may help." she said as she draped a cloak around me.

I nodded and went out to face Claire and James.