Page 15 of The Flame

Amira frowned and then she cocked her head to listen to the winds. Her hearing had sharpened since she left Milo’s home and now she strained to hear. Then she caught the sound her grandmother heard. “I can hear them. I can hear their heartbeats. How is that possible?”

Rissa turned her head and studied her granddaughter. “You can hear their heartbeats? Are you sure?”

Amira nodded.

Kinsen stepped up. “She’s part wolf and wolves' hearing is greater than a human’s. She could have gotten that from her father.”

Rissa stared at Kinsen for a moment. “Maybe.” She shrugged. “I suppose it is possible.”

Jacks nodded. “She may not be able to shift but she does have a wolf inside her. It's possible the wolf has abilities no one has thought of here.”

“Such as?” Winsome asked.

Jacks shrugged. “Great hearing and seeing in the dark, I suppose. She hasn’t ever shifted but that doesn’t mean much in the long run, she’s still part wolf. She’d still have other abilities of the wolf.” He looked over at her and said, “She should be able to run too, something I’m sure she’s never gotten the chance to do if she’s been housebound all her life.”

Amira looked stunned. She shook her head and gazed at Jacks, Trent, and Kinsen. “I’ve always been able to see good at night.” She turned to her grandmother. “And I’ve seen that red wolf before today too. He had been hanging around Milo’s place. He’s even come inside the house to threaten Milo once. I don’t think he knew I was there but one time I saw him lift his head and sniff the air. I thought maybe he scented me but then he shook his head and went back to yelling at Milo.”

“Damn.” Rissa clenched her fists. “He must have scented you alright but with the stink of Milo’s wolf he thought it was him he was scenting.” She turned and to again, look below. Within the shadows of the tree, she caught sight of red fur. “You are right, TankaTae is still there. He’s waiting in the shadows,” she muttered under her breath.

“What do you plan to do, Mother?” Winsome asked her.

“We are going to destroy him once and for all,” Rissa told her. “I couldn’t do it before but the three of us can do it.” She turned to her daughter and granddaughter. Reaching out, she took each of their hands in hers. “When the old Shaman cursed the Coyote, he told him that only the magic of the three, would have the power to destroy him but that one day three such women would stand in front of him. This is that time and we have to stop him but we can only do that if we all stand together.” She paused then suggested, “It would mean exposing the three of us to the whole world. Right now, our enemies have no idea we exist but after this, they will know.”

“And how will that affect us?” Amira asked.

Rissa sighed. “People will come to us for help and favors, not only the People but others as well. Once our secret is out, many will come to us for help or maybe just for favors. Favors we cannot grant, but ones they will expect from us. This will disrupt not only our lives but the biker’s lives as well.”

Luther and his brothers looked uneasy and grumbled but didn’t say anything.

“Why would they come?” Luther asked. “I mean if the only ones who know are the wolves, why would others come?”

Rissa shrugged her shoulders. “One strong trait in human beings is the talk. Sharing the tea, so to speak. So there will be stories of whatever happens here, stories told by the People themselves. That will get out to the public. When the People see and hear there are three Shamans now, they will wonder how and why. History has only given one person the power to be Shaman, now there are three. The People will want to know why.”

“But that’s on Milo, isn’t it?” Luther stated, as he looked angry. “He thought Winsome was gone and he stole their child who turned out to be the next in line for Shaman. He knew this and he held her hostage all these years”

“This is true. However, the old Shaman usually dies when the next shaman arrives. My Winsome was born with blue hair, the same as Amira. This had never happened before, as the Shaman must find someone to take his or her place and then teach that person the old ways. Never in our history has there been a next generation of Shamans. This alone will bring people to us looking for favors. Some who will not deserve them will even demand our help. Things could get ugly around here.”

“They already have,” Luther stated. “Ugly has arrived in spades.” He motioned to the scene below them where actual werewolves and some kind of demon stalked their clubhouse.

“We are past that shit,” Diesel agreed.

“Hell yeah, we are,” Steel added his grumbling agreement.

“What do you suggest we do, Grandmother?” Amira asked. “Do we do nothing and allow this Coyote to live and ensnare others with his evil?”

Rissa shrugged. “I would rather not but I do not live here alone. The bikers have a say in what happens next.”

Luther paused to study his men and saw what they wanted to do in their eyes and in their body language. He looked back at her and said, “You need to destroy this bastard if you can. You have your council and we are Amira’s council. And when she’s ready, Winsome will get her council. Plus, we have the others in the club. You hid the mountain from the wolves all these years, maybe you could hide it from the rest of the world too.”

Rissa shook her head. “That, I may not be able to do.”

“But even if you can’t, other people may come. Maybe some who are not of your tribe, but no one says you have to see them, do you?” Diesel asked.

“No, I guess I don’t,” Rissa admitted. “Besides, I am an old woman now and I cannot live forever. I can only hope to live long enough to pass on what I know to my family.” She looked down at the clubhouse and said, “Come, the People are near and will arrive soon. We must go.”

“Good, we need to be there to help protect our club,” Luther still looked uneasy being gone so long while his MC was still under attack.

Rissa led them to the outer door and turned to look at them all. “No one can see you once you leave the mountain. Until you step into the clubhouse, no one will know you are there.”

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