Beast Caller Read online

  "Mom, can you let me go?" Melony tried to move again, but it was as if she was wrapped in steel bars. Her mother didn't answer, and Melony tried again. "You can let go mom."

  Again, her mother didn't say anything, and her arms stayed locked around Melony. She started to freak out. Looking down, she noticed the lush green grass was no longer lush at all. It was yellow and dead.

  The sound of thunder had her flinching, but she couldn't jump with her mother holding her so tightly.

  If it was her mother.

  "Why did you come back to the house? We could have lived if you would have stayed away."

  Melony froze, hearing the words from her mother's mouth.

  "What?" The word came out as no more than a squeak.

  “Because of you, I was murdered." The grip around Melony disappeared, and she stood there holding her mother's severed head in her hands. "You killed me. Why Melony?"

  Melony screamed and tossed the head away from her. Her hands shook as she looked at all the blood covering them. She screamed, trying to wipe the blood away.

  “Why Melony?" Her mother's voice kept repeating.

  Melony frantically rubbed her hands on her pants, but the blood just kept smearing everywhere. It wouldn’t leave her skin. It stayed on her hands as if staining her.

  "You killed me."

  Melony screamed, covering her ears. "Stop it!"

  The voices continued.

  Her mother's head rolled back over to where Melony knelt, clutching her ears and trying to ignore the words. She looked at her mother's severed head, blood spilling from her neck. Melony felt as if she was going to be sick.

  "You did this, Melony," her mother said.

  Melony shook. She knew that already. Fuck, she knew it. She sat there, listening to the voices telling her how it was her fault. That she was a bad daughter. How she killed her own mother.

  Melony had tried to run, but wherever she went, her mother's severed head would appear and the voices would continue. There was nowhere to hide. It was nothing but dead grass for miles and miles. For all Melony knew, she just went constantly in circles.

  She just wanted it to stop. She didn't want to hear anymore.

  "Please stop," she pleaded.

  But nothing stopped and the voices got louder.

  Chapter Nine

  Itsumi

  Itsumi paced in her room. She couldn't get the witch’s scared brown eyes out of her head. She shouldn't care what happened, but here she was, pacing her floor worrying about the witch. No, not the witch. Melony.

  Why?

  She should have stayed quiet in the Jeep, but she hadn’t been able to help herself. Melony was different than any witch Itsumi had ever met. She was snarky, but also kind. The way her brown eyes had pleaded for help nearly made Itsumi commit the ultimate crime. Sure, she hated Queen Lydia, but she was sworn to serve out her term with the queen. Her people had owed Lydia a great debt, and they were paying it back by Itsumi serving the pompous queen. She would not dishonor her people… No matter how much she craved to go rescue Melony.

  The feeling baffled her. She didn't care for witches, but that all changed within a few minutes of meeting Melony.

  "Ugh." She continued to pace. She didn't think that Melony was the cause of any of the sacrificial burnings or almost exposing their world to humans. Melony didn't know much—that was clear when she was clueless about the void. Most rulers had void traps within their homes. She believed Melony was innocent, but how was she to prove it to the others? No one would believe Melony, not after she used fire in the woods.

  Itsumi was just about to turn to continue her pacing when there was a soft knock on her door. So wrapped up in her thoughts of Melony, she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. She needed to be more careful. Even her thoughts could be used against her. She cleared her mind and walked to the door. Opening it, the last person she expected to see was Fezi the tree elf.

  Fezi—with her light blue hair—looked similar to her sister Mezi who had been out on the hunt with them earlier. Fezi stayed in the palace with the queen, only her sister allowed to leave. Itsumi would never have been able to survive confined to the palace. Itsumi applauded Fezi's ability to not go insane.

  "What is it?" Itsumi asked.

  Fezi looked up at her. She was much shorter than Itsumi. "Can I come in?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  Itsumi had never allowed any of Queen Lydia's court to enter her room if she could help it. And since this didn't sound urgent, she wasn't about to start.

  "Maybe another time." Itsumi began to shut the door when Fezi’s hand reached out and stopped the door from closing.

  "Please."

  The pleading in her tone surprised Itsumi. What could she possibly want? Itsumi eyed her, trying to see if there was a trap that she couldn't see. She tested the air for magic. Fezi was glowing, but that was normal for a tree elf. Itsumi searched for any other magic and came back with nothing.

  Sighing, she saw no other reason but her own selfishness. "Fine."

  She stepped back to let Fezi into her room, and she entered without making any noise. Tree elves moved with so much stealth it was a wonder how they even got captured. Itsumi closed the door and turned to face Fezi. She didn't let down her guard, knowing just how good tree elves could be at killing. Mezi had taken out plenty of enemies without them even realizing what had happened. Itsumi had never seen Fezi so much as yell at someone, but that didn't mean she wasn't just as capable as her sister.

  Fezi stood in the middle of Itsumi’s room, fidgeting slightly. If Itsumi’s eyes weren't trained on her so hard, she wouldn't have noticed the small movement.

  "Do you have a quiet gem?" Fezi whispered.

  Thank the gods for her superior hearing, or she might not have heard the words. Itsumi wasn't sure if it was a trap, but it wasn't against the rules to have gems. Well, gems that wouldn't hurt the queen. Quiet gems wouldn't hurt the queen, but they could be used to keep information from her, so it was against the rules to use them within the palace or near the queen.

  Itsumi raised an eyebrow at Fezi, not sure if she could trust her. Fezi twirled her light blue hair around her finger. "I swear to you, I mean you no ill will."

  Itsumi nodded and walked over to her bed, removed the glamour she had on the floor, and lifted the board to pull out the lilac-colored gem. She placed the board back down and once again hid it behind the glamour. She would change the location later. Walking back over to Fezi, she held the gem out to Fezi. She wasn't going to use it.

  Fezi’s small hand grabbed the gem, and she bit her thumb, letting a few drops of blood fall on the gem. The air buzzed from the magic.

  "Epikaloúmaì," Fezi whispered.

  Itsumi felt the magic coat her as the barrier went up. No one would be able to listen in on their conversation. Itsumi waited until the magic settled before she spoke. "What is it?"

  "The witch you brought in is not the one who has caused the problems," Fezi said.

  Itsumi nodded. "Yeah, I know that already, but it's not like anyone will listen to me. Why don't you tell the queen?"

  Fezi shook her head furiously. "That would not be good."

  Itsumi rubbed her forehead. "And why not? Melony didn't do anything wrong. She deserves to be set free, or at least taken out of Isabelle's hands." Just the thought of Isabelle torturing Melony made Itsumi angry. She wanted to save her before the damage was too great.

  Fezi flinched at Isabelle’s name. Everyone in Lydia's kingdom knew of the demon. She disguised herself as a child, but truly, she was the worst of them all. Isabelle had bonded to the queen and did her bidding, and Lydia allowed anything as long as Isabelle obeyed her. Torture was Isabelle's specialty.

  "We cannot tell anyone it wasn’t her," Fezi said.

  It didn't make sense to Itsumi. "You lost me. You want an innocent witch to be tortured because…?"

  "Is there really ever such a thing as an innocent witch?"

  Before Itsumi met Melony—wit
h her beautiful brown skin, head full of black curls, and the sweetest brown eyes she had ever seen—she would have said no there was no such thing, but Itsumi felt in her soul that Melony was innocent. She was not going to start second guessing her gut.

  "Yes, and Melony is one."

  Fezi stared at her for a long moment before a smile appeared on her face. "My sister said that we could trust you. I had to make sure.”

  Itsumi was lost and didn't even try to pretend like she wasn't. "Huh?"

  Fezi laughed. Itsumi would have pinched herself if she didn't already know this was real. She had never heard either of the tree elf girls giggle.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Itsumi asked.

  "Sorry, it has been a long time since I have laughed," Fezi said, wiping the blue tears from her eyes. "The witch has not done anything wrong, but—"

  "Melony," Itsumi said.

  Fezi stared at her before nodding and continuing. "Right, Melony is innocent in this regard, but we mustn't inform anyone here that we know. It could be dangerous for her."

  "More dangerous than letting Isabelle torture her?"

  Fezi sighed and her face fell. "We had not expected for her to be placed into Isabelle’s sector. She was to go to the regular cells."

  Itsumi balled her fists. "So, we are just supposed to leave her in Isabelle’s sector and not tell anyone she’s innocent?"

  Fezi nodded. "Yes."

  "Why?"

  Fezi lifted her head and looked Itsumi in the eyes. "Because if they find out what she is capable of, they will kill her on the spot. Or worse, the queen will use her to summon a god to her."

  Itsumi was speechless. What Fezi was saying was impossible. To summon a god would take multiple sacrifices, and even then, to force them to come and bond would be suicidal.

  "You mustn't do anything."

  "So just leave her to suffer?"

  "Yes." It was no more than a whisper.

  "Then why are you here?" Itsumi was confused.

  "Mezi said that you were kind to the wi— Melony. She is important, but we must act intelligently. If you save her or plead her innocence, she may, in fact, die. Then we’ll all be stuck serving a powerful queen. Lydia is powerful, but she is no match for what is to come."

  There were too many gaps. Itsumi knew that Fezi and Mezi could be vague, but now wasn't the time. "I need more than that. Why can't we help her now? Why would she be killed if she didn't do anything wrong?"

  Fezi stepped back. "Mataíosi."

  The spell cancelled out, and Itsumi knew she couldn't ask another question. She eyed Fezi as she headed toward the door. No more words were exchanged as Fezi left.

  Now what?

  Itsumi got dressed again and left her room. With her face hidden, she moved around the mansion with no problems. She went in search for the one person that might be able to help her. She moved from room to room and no one saw or heard her, her glamour working to hide her. She couldn't hold it up forever, but she could hold the glamour up for a while. She wasn't sure where they had placed the unicorn, so first, she needed to find out where to go.

  She walked into one of the many guard rooms. She made sure to put the glamour on thick. Some of the guards would be able to see through it if they tried, but as long as they didn't know she was there, it shouldn't be a problem. She could always go in and ask, but she had made a reputation for herself. She didn't talk to any of the others. Not even those on her team. She only spoke to them when the situation called for it. If she went into the room now, trying to ask questions, she would be regarded with suspicion.

  Many of the guards and others from stealth teams were in the large lounge. It was sort of like a coffee room, only humongous. Itsumi moved toward the wall, trying to find the right people to listen in on. She saw Robious, the one Melony had called Robyn. The interaction still made Itsumi laugh. She moved toward Robious, making sure not to touch anything while she walked. She stood mere inches from where Robious was with other guards that Itsumi had seen before but never bothered to learn their names.

  "How was your latest outing?" asked one of the guards.

  "Some stupid witch. She was easy pickings. I have no idea why they needed our whole team," Robious said, taking a big gulp of her drink.

  "I heard there was a unicorn with her."

  "Yeah," Robious said, shrugging.

  "What coven?"

  "I have no fucking clue. She was an idiot. She’s with Lady Isabelle now. We’ll know everything in a few hours—if she even survives that," Robious laughed

  Itsumi had an urge to move and slit her throat without warning, but she held herself back.

  "Damn." All the guards around the table shook their heads. They all knew too well how insane Isabelle could be and how dangerous she was.

  "What about the unicorn? Will she go to Queen Lydia now?"

  One of the other guards spoke up. "I heard to force a unicorn into a bond will only weaken them and then they’ll die."

  Robious threw her drink. "Any creatures that bond with Queen Lydia are lucky, and they would be fools not to grab onto the power that is Queen Lydia." Robious glared at the guards before walking away.

  Itsumi watched her go. She didn't like Robious before, but now, she couldn't wait for the chance for an accident to befall her when out on a mission. Itsumi almost left but stopped when she heard the guard who had been talking about the unicorn start to speak again.

  "The unicorn is in the bird cages, just pacing back and forth. She refuses to shift back into her human form, and so far, she’s killed five guards." He shook his head. "Queen Lydia refuses to let anyone force her to shift back for fear it would hurt her.”

  Itsumi didn't stick around, leaving now that she knew where the unicorn was. She headed out of the guards' room and went in search of her.

  She made it to the cages within minutes. There were a few creatures inside the cages, mainly creatures that had no human-looking form stayed down there in the cages. She passed a few nolvek. She didn't like the demon-like creatures too much. They were like dogs, just bigger, with less hair and missing lips, so their gums and teeth were always barred, but they drooled like dogs.

  Passing a few more cages, she finally came upon the unicorn. Itsumi had seen one before, but it had been when she was a child. Seeing one up close again was still just as breathtaking as it had been when she was young.

  The unicorn didn't notice her right away. Itsumi walked around the cage. It was big, but she should be able to cover the whole cage in a glamour so that she could talk to the unicorn. The glamour wouldn’t block their voices, but it was pretty noisy in the room with the other creatures moving around and yapping away.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated on covering the whole cage. Itsumi could hear the unicorn’s hooves beating against the floor of the cage. By the time Itsumi was done, her hands shook and she felt her ears and tails appear.

  The glamour still held, but now, Itsumi couldn't hold her full human form any longer.

  "Calm down," she said breathlessly.

  She leaned against the bars, trying to catch her breath. She used her glamour all day, and although she was trained to endure much worse, it had been a while since she had to cover so much area while keeping her other glamours up. The unicorn had settled down and walked over to the bars where Itsumi was standing. Itsumi slowly lifted her head to look at the unicorn.

  "I'm here to talk about Melony," Itsumi whispered, thankful for the other creatures still making noise. As long as no one suspected her to be down there, then no one would think about listening in. If someone was to walk by all of sudden, they wouldn't see anything but a pacing unicorn. It would be like a video on a continuous loop. "Shift back so we can talk."

  The unicorn eyed her suspiciously. Itsumi sighed. Of course, the unicorn would be suspicious of anyone that tried to get her to shift. Itsumi was sure her tails were showing and her scent gave away her strength. Her kind always got a bad rep.

  "I'm not here to trick you
. I want to help Melony."

  The unicorn still didn't shift, but Itsumi could tell by how the unicorn moved when she uttered Melony's name that she was listening.

  "Look, we may not have a lot of time. I know Melony doesn't deserve to be here. They believe that she is the cause of the recent sacrificial fires that have been happening in this territory. I want to help her."

  The unicorn shifted within seconds. A bright light that seemed to sparkle like glitter showed for a few seconds before a naked woman with long silver hair and pale skin with multi-colored freckles all over her body. And what a body it was. Itsumi’s eyes roamed all over the unicorn's body, her human form just as beautiful as her unicorn one.

  "Eyes up here."

  Itsumi slowly raised her gaze to look at the greenest eyes she had ever seen. The unicorn didn't look impressed.

  "You can't blame me," Itsumi said as she shrugged.

  "How do you plan to help her, fox?"

  "Ouch." Itsumi mocked flinched back at the way the unicorn had said fox as if it to make it an insult.

  "Do not play games with me."

  Itsumi smiled. "Games can be fun."

  The look she got was one she was used to, but she thought it was cute on the unicorn's face.

  Itsumi stopped playing around. "Does Melony have a coven that may come to help her?" That would be the easiest way to save her.

  The unicorn eyed her once again, crossing her arms over her breasts and drawing Itsumi’s eyes back to her perky breasts and light brown nipples.

  "Why do you want to help her?"

  Itsumi looked back up into her eyes. That was a good question. Why was she risking everything to help this witch? Sure, she was innocent, but Itsumi had seen and captured many innocent people and creatures, all because the queen had ruled it. But here she was, trying to talk to the unicorn to find a way to help Melony.

  "No idea." She shrugged.

  The unicorn stood there, staring at Itsumi for a second before nodding. "She doesn't have a coven. She only found out she was a witch the other day."

  Itsumi whistled. "Well, is there anyone that would come save her?"