Endania

We arrived at another mansion but this one looked a little smaller than the Duchess’s. The hole outside was painted blue. Ash look at Mon. “Why are Commanders Nature, Dominic, and Gillain here?” He asked.

“How should I know I’m not a Commander,” Mon answered.

“Your sister is.”

“She doesn’t talk to me about Commander stuff.”

“Should we come back later?” I interrupted.

Mon shook her head, “No. This is the perfect chance for you to meet all the Comannders.” She walked forward and we followed. Ash pressed the doorbell and a ding-dong rang throughout the house. “Oh, he changed it,” Mon said unhappily.

“What?” I asked puzzled.

“It used to sound like the song ‘Jingle Bells’ but now it’s just ‘Ding-Dong’. Not cheerful at all,” she explained.

“Oh.”

The door opened and Mon smiled. “Hey, Tom. I thought you said you were planning to quit being a butler.”

Tom scowled. “I never said that and I won’t ever leave Commander Alton’s employ. Stop spreading rumors.”

I breathed in and realized he was a vampire. “We’re here to see the Commander,” Ash said smoothly stepping in before those two broke into an argument.

“He’s in a meeting,” Tom said.

“We know but we thought it would be better that the Commanders meet the Duke’s daughter all together. Though two of them already have met her,” Mon said.

Tom’s eyes widened when they landed on me. “She’s the Duke’s daughter? The one he was looking for?”

“Yes.”

“Then follow me.” He led us to what looked like a conference room. Since all the Commanders were there I’m going to assume that’s what it was. Well, not all of them are here. The Duchess wasn’t but she told me before we left that she had some business to take care of.

All the Commanders looked at us. Both Mon and Ash knelt. I gave them a confused look and Mon yanked me down too. “Commanders, we have brought Sylvia Griffin, the Duke’s daughter, to see you,” Mon said still kneeling. When will we be allowed to get up?

“Rise,” Commander Nature said.

We stood and I gave Mon a dark look. She returned it with a smirk. A guy with blond hair and brown eyes looked at me. My nose told me he was a vampire which meant he was Commander Alton. The other was a guy with red eyes and night-black hair who I’m going to say is Commander Gillain since I’ve never smelt a demon before so I can’t use my nose. “Hello,” I said uncomfortably. I didn’t like that they were all staring at me but I made sure that didn’t show on my face.

“You are the child the Duke had been searching for?” Commander Alton asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen.” I only know that because I kept track of the days that went by from the window in my cell.

“That’s how long it’s been since the new wolf had been born. Where have you been?”

I opened his mouth to tell him I’d been around when Ash spoke in my head. ~Tell them everything~

“I’ve been in a cell in the basement of my mom’s house,” I said unhappily. I hadn’t even told the Duchess what I knew I was going to be telling them.

“And why were you down there?” Commander Alton asked.

I looked him in the eye. “When I was one my mom found out I am a werewolf. So she put me in the cell and never let me out unless she and her husband were going to torture me.” I rolled up the sleeve of my right arm to show them the scars. “I escaped only yesterday when they left on their two-week vacation,” I continued as I rolled my sleeve back down. “I arrived here eight hours later and have been staying at Her Grace’s house.”

“They tortured you for seventeen years?” Commander Gillian asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s a lot of pain you’ve gone through. How did you get through it?”

I smiled a little. “By reminding myself repeatedly that I heal quickly.” I sighed. “Though it was slow since they used silver and wolfsbane.”

“They starved her too,” Ash added.

I glared at him. ~Sure, broadcast that fact to everyone in Endania why don’t you?~ I hope he heard the sarcasm in that sentence.

~They need to know.~ He replied.

~Why? I haven’t even told the Duchess how long I’ve been tortured for.~

~She’ll find out from them. That way you won’t need to tell the story again.~

Commander Alton turned to the others. “I believe her, do you?” All but Commander Dominic nodded.

Commander Narure glared. “Dominic?”

“I want to see her wolf form before I decide,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because her fur color will tell us if she is.” He turned to me. “Shift.”

I thought about not doing it because I wasn’t in the mood to be my wolf but I obediently slid into my wolf form and shook myself. They all gasped. Including Commander Dominic. “She looks exactly like he did,” Commander Gillian said. There was awe in his voice.

I sneezed and shifted back into a human. Ash looked at me carefully and I gave him a reassuring smile. I hadn’t had any pain that time which meant I was fully healed. Yes! However, it did mean the Duchess had told him about me wincing after shifting in front of her. “Are you satisfied?” Commander Nature said unhappily.

“Yes,” he said in a thoughtful tone.

“Do you believe your mom might come and try to get you back?” Commander Alton asked.

I thought about that. “Yes, but we have a while before that happens.”

“You said that they were going on a two-week vacation. Are you sure they won’t come back early?”

I opened my mouth to say I was sure but then realized the longest they’d ever gone without torturing me was a week. “They won’t come back for at least a week,” I replied.

“And her mom has an ID,” Mon added.

“Can I ask a question?” I asked.

“You may,” Commander Nature said.

“When will I have to start training to lead the werewolves?”

All the Commanders looked at Commander Dominic. “How well do you know how to fight?” He asked.

“Hand-to-hand I’ve got down. Weapons on the other hand…” I shook my head. “I don’t know how to use them.”

“Then I’ll teach you that and how to use your fire.”

“My what?”

“You do know that all wolves can use fire, right?”

“No…”

“The color of the fire changes per wolf,” Commander Nature said. “Dominic’s is red. Your father’s was green. Lord Flames is purple.”

“Um…” I looked at Ash and Mon.

“Don’t worry. He’ll teach you how to bring the power out and how to use it,” Ash said soothingly.

“Yes, now we need to get back to our meeting,” Commander Dominic said. We nodded and turned to go. “Oh, and Griffin?”

I’ve never been addressed by just my last name but I knew he was talking to me. I turned back. “Yes?”

“Meet me in the Training Hall at ten a.m. sharp tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” We left.