Jaden’s POV
Beta Ralph returned from the palm reader’s shop holding up a card, he stopped in front of me and showed it to me. “It says I won’t live long.”
I dragged it from him and ripped it apart. “Don’t say that, why believe in this nonsense? What did the palm reader say about the missing boy?”
“He had met her, the palm reader, and asked if he was to find his mate soon.” Ralph grinned.
A look of disappointment was etched on my face. “Not about his future as a warrior?”
“Apparently, his mate was more important to him than that.” Ralph smirked. “She said he saw her though but they argued.”
“That’s weird.” I frowned. Ralph and I were standing in the middle of the Boots and Rivers Market, many wolfs passed by us.
How’d he have found his mate seconds after being told he’d see her? And he disappeared too? Could it be he was with the girl?
“What if he left with the girl?” I spoke my thoughts out loud.
“I asked that too but the reader said he accused her of being a killer and to stay away, then left. The girl had left with her sisters too.”
That was suspicious. He rejected his mate on first glance? How dare he? The girl was a killer? Was she a Red Moon warrior? And sisters?
“Where’s that palm reader?” I needed to ask her clearly. Ralph pointed at an old small shop and I strolled my way there.
“She also said my time of death isn’t near though.” Ralph kept speaking of that. I clenched my fists but ignored him.
Merely breathing besides the door and the lady said to come in. We obeyed.
She had small glasses on her much smaller eyes. Possibly past a hundred but was a warrior in her prime, hence her good health.
“You said you met a boy who rejected his mate?”
“Was she his mate?” her small eyes became smaller.
I glanced at Ralph, who came forward. “You told me he see her but they argued.”
“I didn’t. I stopped at he met her but never added argued or accused her of anyth….”
“Neither did we speak of you saying ‘accused‘. Tell us!” I peered my eyes into hers. She was hiding something.
“Why don’t you want to tell us? Where you threatened?” Ralph asked, pulling me away from the lady so I wouldn’t scare her.
He was having that look when he was being weird – or psychic. Did he read that she felt fear? I calmed down.” Ma’am, the boy is missing now.”
1/3
Boots and Rivers
+25 BONUS
“It has nothing to do with the. Ask others round if they saw him, I am sure I wasn’t the only store he visited…”
“Can you tell us what the girl looked like? And her sisters? Did they have swords like Red Moon warriors?” Ralphs interrupted her.
She gulped down saliva. “Red Moon warriors will be stones if they ever walked into this market.”
I guess that’s a no and with the pain she spoke with, she’s a victim of Red Moon’s nonchalance.
“Ma’am, if it’s not Red Moon then who?”
“I can’t tell you, they don’t want you to know them.” she looked away, fondling on a letter she had on her table.
Ralph noticed it and mind linked to me. “That wasn’t in her hands when earlier visited her, someone must have met her after I left.”
She met my gaze and put the letter into her drawer. “Leave please, I don’t want trouble. The boy was ungrateful and made the girl cry.”
“What were the exact words he said?”
“That she’s a killer and not worthy of him.” She scoffed. “He wasn’t worthy of her. I haven’t heard of him helping any one before.”
Helping anyone? Did the girl and het sisters held people? Could other sellers in the market be able to identify her?
Ralph wanted to keep engaging the lady but I pulled him out of her shop. She wasn’t going to talk and I wasn’t in the mood to cajole her.
“Whoever sent that letter, the palm reader knows that person. And that person was quite fast to leave without us seeing them.”
“That person also knew we’d look for her.” I added.
Ralph nodded. “Then this attack was planned?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But…” I trailed off, my head snapped to the opposite direction, towards the river, besides the
market.
I saw something run past. It was vague but quick, it was wolf. “Ralph, someone is there. Come!”
I ran as I spoke. He followed after me. I halted when I got to the river, a weird looking body of water. Boots swam inside of it and it was dirty.
My hands itched when I ran my hands through the surface. Is this why the river is said to be cursed?” I asked Ralph
“It’s said to have the blood and boots of many slaves that tried revolting Red Moon. A market was built for it and called Boots and River.”
I turned to Ralph with a done look. Why tell me the pathetic history of the river? Only wondered why it itched.
Blood and Boots didn’t make it itch. “It itches. We can’t swim through.” I looked up. “But that wolf had swam through. How?”
“A myth is the river will only let you swim through if you are innocent. Maybe the wolf is innocent….”
“Let’s go!” I shut him from his mythical history and dived into the river. Whoever that person was, they had to
answer to me.
2/3
Boots and Rivers
+25 BONUS
Ralph groaned, soaking himself into the river. “It burns!”
“I know. But if you don’t find your brother–in–law, your home will burn hotter when your mate finds out.”
That was enough to shut him up. I turned to see him sulking. I smiled. We got to the other side, my skin felt like they have met with silver.
What exactly had been dumped into the water?
“I’d go!” I dragged Ralph to his feet and handed him my clothes as I prepared to shift.
“Yeah, go get them.” He sighed, rubbing his face with my shirt, I rolled my eyes.
I quickly shifted and tried to follow the trail of the wolf. It had been fast, but I presumed it slowed down cos I was catching a scent.
A scent that kept drawing me towards it much that my wolf increased his speed without me telling it to. “That wolf will be shredded to pieces when I find it.” I seethed, making claw marks on the earth as I ran. I felt intense emotion, was it anger?
I stopped, seeing a cliff ahead. The gap to the other side was huge and no wolf would make it. Where had the wolf gone to?
Then I heard the breaking of twigs as something zoomed past me. Then past me again and a sudden laughter.
It went away like it came and I was rooted to the spot. The wolf hadn’t known but I saw it’s figure rush into an underground passage.
One I’d check later. My wolf felt weakness by the sensation because when the wolf had laughed, I felt something weird.
Something one felt when they find their mate.
