Blue Violet

chapter 19



Later that night Ellie and Griffin agreed to split the patrols so they could get some rest between watches.

Ellie took the first shift, having recovered sufficiently from her accident that morning. “I’ll wake you up when I get back,” she said as she walked out the back door.

“You sure? How’s the head?”

“I’ll survive,” she replied stoically.

She quickly made for the woods. One of the things she and Griffin had decided today was not to go in and out of the house in their falcon forms. If Alex was suspicious, he might be watching. And if anyone was watching, even if it wasn’t Alex, a large bird shooting in and out would be too obvious to ignore. So Ellie headed into the cover of the trees, and once she felt safe, she transformed into a falcon and swiftly took flight.

Nighttime had already descended, and despite concentrating on looking for the wolves and watching over the Jenners and Pierces, Ellie was still able to revel in the feeling of soaring through the air. As a falcon she could dive and reach speeds faster than any other creature on the planet, the wind almost a physical presence holding her, moving with her, supporting her. And then, in the same breath, she could flare her wings and hover over the earth, the wind still her constant companion, and the sights surrounding her so incredible that words could never do them justice. Men risked their lives climbing mountains and jumping out of planes to have just a momentary glimpse of what Ellie could see any time she chose. The sight was truly stunning, and she never got over the simple enjoyment of this miraculous gift.

The Jenners and Pierces lived in two houses built side-by-side, well outside of town and far away from anyone else. Like her and Griffin, Lila, Adelaide, and Nate didn’t need much sleep to function and often spent much of the night together, frequently moving back and forth between the houses and sometimes wandering in the woods. This routine was one of the things that worried Ellie the most. The Vyusher had to be aware of this nightly activity… a habit she felt the pack would likely exploit.

It didn’t take much waiting before Ellie saw her three friends crossing the woods between their houses. They took their time, stopping to sit on the grass in a small clearing, and appeared to be practicing their powers. Nate, ultra strong and fast, was picking Adelaide up and lifting her effortlessly above his head. Ellie couldn’t tell what the girls were doing.

Ellie found a perch on top of a high tree from which to keep watch over them. She tried hard not to spy, although she enjoyed observing them as they practiced their powers on each other. She remembered her own adolescence and honing her skills with Griffin and with her friends. However, she didn’t want to intrude on these three. Besides, what she was watching for was not their activities, but for any kind of threat to them. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was coming soon. And with that gut feeling overwhelming her, she settled in and scanned the woods around them constantly.

Three hours later, it was almost time to go trade shifts with Griffin. With one last look, she took off and started to fly for home. In the middle of a swooping turn, a movement in the trees caught her attention. Focusing her highly-sensitive falcon’s vision, she made out a shape in the forest moving swiftly and silently toward the clearing where her three friends were hanging out.

No!

Dread rushed through her as she arrowed her trajectory toward the movement. As she drew closer, Ellie made out the shape of a large wolf.

And then she noticed another wolf.

And another.

Vyusher. Ellie’s worst fears were confirmed.

Doing a swift about face, Ellie flew as fast as she could toward Adelaide, Lila, and Nate. There were about half a dozen wolves headed straight toward them. Wolves just like the ones that had attacked Ellie’s clan.

Doing some quick mental arithmetic, Ellie worked through three important things as she flew. The first thought was Griffin was too far away for her to be able to tap into his powers. The second was that the rest of the family was too far away for her to get help before the wolves reached them. And the third was that between Nate, Adelaide, and Lila, only Nate had a remotely active and defensive power. From what Ellie could tell, Lila’s and Adelaide’s powers would not be useful in this fight.

She ran through her options in rapid succession. I can’t do this without Griffin! The realization sank in and settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

As she neared the trio, she angled herself in a dive meant more for speed than prudence. She couldn’t hear Griffin but prayed he’d be able to hear her. She gave a piercing falcon’s cry, and her friends jerked their attention to her descent. Pulling up sharply as she reached them, she morphed into her human form.

“Ellie?” Adelaide gasped. The shock in her face turned to understanding faster than Ellie would’ve expected. “Well that explains a lot.”

“I don’t have time to go into details right now. There’s a pack of wolves headed this way, and they’re coming to kill you!”

“What’re you talking about?” Nate demanded, his face still showing signs of shock at Ellie’s dramatic entrance.

“You need to run as fast as you can to the closest house.” She pointed in the opposite direction from the wolves. “Once you get there, tell the rest of your family. Together, there are enough of you to defend against them.”

“What about you?” Adelaide asked urgently.

“I’m going to hold them off as long as I can. Nate, if they get past me before you get to the house, use your strength. You might be able to give Adelaide and Lila a chance. You’ll have to snap their necks. It’ll be the only way you can stop them.”

Nate nodded his understanding and grabbed Adelaide’s hand, already pulling her in the direction Ellie had indicated.

“Go,” Ellie urged them as Lila grabbed Adelaide’s other hand.

“Ellie, will you be okay?” Adelaide asked, straining against Lila and Nate as they both tugged her in the direction of the home. They were all clearly frightened, but Adelaide’s tender heart wouldn’t let her go without her friend.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Go.”