Page 41 of Outcast
Once more, the kind woman who had called the meeting to order spoke, "Have you all forgotten the Shadow War that almost wiped us to extinction six hundred years ago? It was prophesied in the Cognitionis, which was theonlyreason our ancestors weren't defeated," she ended with a deep sigh, shaking her head at the naysayers in the room.
Damn, that was not knowledge that I had been privy to, and it made me realize that I needed to read through the history of the wolf shifters to catch up on what most were taught from birth.
My face must have shown my clear shock and confusion because she thankfully continued to explain. "During the Shadow War, creatures spawned from the depths of Hell were let loose on the world. It took hundreds of years to repopulate the packs, and still today we have not rebuilt our numbers."
I'd say the Daimona looked like creatures from Hell. Could they be related?
Enraptured by this story, I forgot my own prophecy briefly and asked, "How were they defeated?"
The older man next to her grabbed her hand and answered with a grim look, "A blade forged in the pits of a volcano that was rumored to be filled with a brilliant blue lava. It possessed powers that the world had never seen before when wielded by one man known as the Quis Fortis, or brave one in English."
"We have no idea if that is actually true, Nicholas," the same person who had called it a dust collector earlier rebutted.
Deciding it was time to intervene, I held my hand up, "I'm sorry, I've let this get off track because of my curiosity. Thank you..." I trailed off as I gestured towards the kind woman, wanting to know her name.
Her smile lines creased as she answered, "Seneca."
Nodding my thanks, I moved on. "Can someone read aloud from the Cognitionis? Specifically the Dark Prophecy."
A grunt came from Jameson as he slid the black leather book towards him on the table and rifled through its hundreds of pages.
Clearing his throat, he started with a disclaimer, "My Latin is a little rusty, so bear with me."
He knew Latin? Of course he did. Boy Wonder was good at everything—except being a kind person.
“Dark days await the wolves.
He has long awaited his return to the surface, simmering in unequivocal fury at his previous failure.
This time he will not retreat. He will unleash Hell on earth.
A white wolf with orbs of blue fire will have the answers within her to defeat him.
She will bear the mark of the crescent moon, signaling her divine connection as the Prophetess.
The arrival of the Prophetess will bring both hope and destruction for the wolves of the world.
She alone will be able to save them—or damn them.
Devastation will ensue if she fails."
Well, anyone who had seen me in the training yard wouldn't be able to deny that this absolutely described me. Although, I had never seen a crescent moon on myself.
"Thank you," I called out, which he ignored in typical Jameson fashion.
Focusing back on the crowd, I continued, "We all know that I was raised thinking I was just a human and there was nothing special about me. However, last night during the full moon, I found out that not only am I a shifter, but I am also Selene's chosen prophetess, and with that comes special abilities."
An uproar followed, with some people calling out questions and others calling me an outright liar, but it was as if I could suddenly smell their fear in the air. It made sense to want to deny the truth if it was associated with something that legitimately threatened your life.
Straining to catch some of their words coherently, I heard, “It’s said we’ll be enslaved or die if that prophecy happens.”
Selene hadn’t told me enslavement was an option, only death. Perhaps they were synonymous.
“Impossible! I refuse to believe that our entire species could fall toanycreatures. No matter what realm they are from.”
Groaning, I looked to my mates for support. As Milo and Seth stepped to my side to do just that, the alpha called out with authority, "Silence."
Gesturing towards me, he begrudgingly stated, "Continue."
