Chapter Four: Just out of Sight

~ Marie ~

The area around the large two-story house was empty of people. Marie went up the steps and stood on the porch. House seemed like too small of a word to describe the pale yellow building with white trim. It was the size of two houses merged together. Did the whole pack live within this house? Marie knocked on the door. The door opened and a man stepped out with a smile.

“Hello, I’m Peter. I’m happy you could make it.” He held out his hand and she took it. Peter gave her a firm handshake before letting go and scanning the front yard. “This might be a little odd to ask but do you know where Grayson went?”

“He didn’t say.” He frowned as he glanced around again.

“Did they pick you up in the truck?” She nodded. Peter pinched his nose with one hand as he briefly closed his eyes. “I am truly sorry for the lack of respect on my brother’s part. I will talk to him later.”

“It’s fine.” Peter nodded, looking relieved. He held the door open and gestured for her to go first.

“I’d like to introduce you to more of the pack first. After that, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” Peter led her to the first room on the left. The large rectangular room held two sofas and a sectional. There was still room for three small end tables, each with a vase of fresh flowers on top. Six people occupied the room, sitting on the sofas or the floor. They were talking and laughing as she entered with Peter. “I just wanted to quickly introduce the Guardian.” The talking stopped as everyone turned to stare at her. “She is here to oversee the Rite. Please show her the utmost respect and hospitality while she’s here.” They agreed but the look in their eyes was the same as Grayson’s. Did they just dislike outsiders interfering in their business or was this something else? Peter turned and led her down the hallway and out the back door.

Behind the house sat a smaller one-story house and behind that, at the very edge of the clearing, was a large barn looking building. She followed Peter as he led her to the small house. The house was a much smaller version of the main house. This place was also yellow and white but instead of a front porch, there was a ramp attached. Peter walked up the ramp and opened the door. He held it for her as he waited for her to go in first.

“This used to belong to my sister. It should have everything you need.” He wrestled with his keyring for a moment before pulling off a key and giving it to her. “Breakfast is at ten, lunch is at two and dinner is at six. If you need anything else, please let me know.” He gave her one last smile before he left, shutting the door gently behind him.

Marie looked around the room, taking note of what was there. The house was basically one large room loosely sectioned off into a bedroom, kitchen, and dining area. The bed was pushed to one side with a closet at the foot of the bed. The other wall was filled with cabinets. The kitchen had a sink, microwave and mini-fridge. There was a coffee maker hidden in one of the upper cabinets. The dining area was just a small table and chairs pushed against the wall. It shared the wall with a small three piece bathroom. There were no other pieces of furniture. The only food was a small bowl of fruit on the table. The fridge was empty and there was nothing else in the cabinets either. It was a little bigger than her living room but not by much.

She put her bag on the table and pulled out her essentials. A can of instant coffee, her pills, and a small notepad with a pencil. Afterward, she took her bag to the closet and threw it in. There was no need to unpack it. Marie walked over to the front door and began to write script on it. She added the basic protections against eavesdropping and a spell to keep her emotions sealed. Marie filled the script with magic and made sure every nook and cranny of the house was covered. She stepped back. Should she add more to it? She shook her head. This was just a simple job. Nothing big should happen here and if it did it was better to conserve magic just in case. With the house protected, she could head out and check the surrounding area.

After locking the door, Marie scanned the surroundings. There was plenty of time before dinner. She wasn’t sure where the Rite would take place so it would be good to get familiar with the area. Besides these two houses, there was an even larger building at the back. The building resembled a barn with its red paint and white trim. It sat at the very edge of the clearing. The clearing was surrounded by forest on three sides and bordered by the road at the front.

Peter closed the back door of the large house and glanced at her. It was better to ask him now before she went somewhere she wasn’t supposed to.

“Are there any areas that are off limits?” She didn’t want to make things worse with the pack.

“No, you’re free to go wherever you want.” He surveyed the area for a moment before he spoke. “Do you have a minute? I’d like to introduce you to my sister if you have time. She just came back.” Marie nodded. Peter held the door for her as she walked towards the house. A woman was filling a pot with water at the sink while several other people moved back and forth with ingredients. A few of the pack stared at her as she walked in after Peter. A couple of them frowned but most of them ignored her as they went about their business. Peter went up to the woman at the sink and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Abby.”

“What?” The woman turned toward him with an annoyed expression on her. “I don’t have anything you can eat right now, you glutton.” Peter grinned before gesturing to Marie.

“This is the Guardian.” Abigail stared at Marie for a moment before she turned to the sink and washed her hands quickly. “This is my sister, Abigail. She’s the one that will be getting married in a few days.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Guardian. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to welcome you.” Abigail wiped her hands on her apron real quick before offering her hand. They shook hands before she spoke again. “We are still in the middle of preparing for dinner but if you’re hungry now I can make something real quick.” Peter gazed at Abigail as his grin grew wider. Abigail ignored him as she waited for a reply.

“Thank you but I can wait.”

“Then I’ll get back to making dinner. It should be ready in another hour. Please join us then.” Abigail nodded and went back to filling her pot. Someone had walked up to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder. They went over to the front door to talk. Peter was eating an apple as he spoke to the other person quietly. Since he was busy, it should be fine if she left without saying anything.

Marie walked outside and took a look around. Not a person in sight. With a forest so close, the rest of the pack was probably running around out there until dinner time. Marie glanced around before zeroing in on the barn. She ambled towards the building, keeping her senses open as she did so. Gathering as much information as possible was important. Even though this should be a simple job, she didn’t know everything that was going on or why they’d really called for her. Marie stopped just a few feet short of the front door to the barn.

It had been so quick she’d almost missed it. Magic had been activated not far from here. Behind this building, in fact.

She went around the building, scanning her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing except trees and plants. No people were around as far as she could tell. Marie stopped and studied the area. There was a small bit of fabric hanging off a bush. The white cloth had been part of a bigger piece. The edges were ragged and frayed. Loose bits of thread were tangled around the branch. Marie wasn’t going to be able to use it to follow the magic signature but maybe she could still get something off of it. She tripped on her way over to it and fell to the ground. Marie turned around and glared at the root that had caused her fall.

“You okay?” She turned her head and found a man standing behind her. His brown hair was wavy and almost went down to his shoulders. The man’s hazel eyes twinkled with amusement as he gazed down at her. Marie stood up and brushed off her pants.

“I’m fine.” Just a couple of scratches. She glanced back at where the fabric had been but didn’t see it anymore. It must have fallen when she did. She scanned the ground but the magic was too faint to pinpoint.

“Lose something?”

“A small piece of white fabric.” He knelt on the ground and seemed to sniff the air. The man moved some of the grass beneath the bush and pulled out the cloth she had been searching for. He offered it to her and she took it and put it in her pocket for later. She felt the faint magic on it as soon as her fingers touched it.

“Thank you.”

“Glad to help. Name’s Jesse.”

“Marie.” He held out his hand and she took it. Jesse gave her a firm handshake before letting go. He put both his hands in his pockets as he leaned against a nearby tree. She had read somewhere that shifters could find each other based on scent. If that was true then there would be no hiding that she was the Guardian.

“That smell…”

“Smell?” With a werewolf's advanced sense of smell, he might have picked up something beyond the magic she had sensed.

“Like flowers?” It felt like that should mean something but she couldn’t remember. She waited patiently for him to finish speaking. “I might have smelled it somewhere else but…”

“But?”

“By the time we reach the area, it’ll be getting dark. It’s better if we wait until tomorrow.” She didn’t know what magic this person had been using and it could actually be something harmless but until she knew for sure, this wasn’t something she could ignore. There was no other magic anywhere around the other buildings or inside either house. This probably wasn’t being done by any of the pack members here.

“I would prefer to look today.” Better to check as soon as possible. There was no telling if the evidence would still be there tomorrow. The area itself might also hold clues as to why they were using magic in the first place. Jesse nodded and led the way.

Marie tried to keep one eye on him and one eye on the path ahead. Marie didn’t know all of the pack so she didn’t know if Jesse was one of the pack or an outsider. Outsiders were one of the names used for a wolf that wasn’t part of the pack. With the Rite of Passing in effect, outsiders were allowed to wander pack territory freely. The Rite of Passing always happened before the Rite of Accord. This way, any outsiders could either try for pack leader or use the opportunity to try to join the pack. With strangers free to wander the area, she would need to be extra careful.

Marie was learning more about herself the longer she was out here. And she didn’t like what she was finding out. She was not coordinated enough to avoid all the roots and branches that crisscrossed the path. Marie was sure she had stepped over one, only to have another one trip her. She stopped for a moment and carefully stepped over another root. This was the third time she’d nearly tripped. Marie walked forward and felt a tug on her jacket. She turned and unhooked a branch from her jacket hood. Jesse stopped and asked if she was fine. He gave her a lopsided smile and she tried to suppress her irritation. It wasn’t his fault she couldn’t walk through the forest. Marie straightened up and nodded. He went back to leading the way.

About fifteen minutes passed in silence before Jesse stopped again. He shifted his weight to one side as he scanned the area. Jesse turned to her and picked her up. He leaped to one side and jumped up on a nearby boulder. Several deer charged through the forest, going right through the path they had been taking. They waited until they had all passed before Jesse jumped off the boulder and let her down. He kept an eye on the deer as they ran away. He waited a moment more before he stalked away.

“What is it?”

“Some idiot wounded the deer.” Jesse put his hands in his pockets as he went back to the trail they had been on. She glanced at the ground and spotted several drops of blood in different places. Maybe more than one. Marie glanced back at where the deer had gone before focusing back on her guide.

They walked in silence after that. Marie stretched her senses as far as they could go but she still wasn’t sensing anything. Was this a setup or had the magic faded away already? She could deal with the former but the latter was a problem. Jesse could be showing her something old. His senses would still be able to pick up the smell coming off the cloth whether or not the magic was still there. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a faint trace of magic.

But it wasn’t the only one.

There was a much larger magic signature in the direction they were heading. Jesse stopped right next to the faint trace of magic. He knelt down and pointed it out. Marie knelt down next to him. There was nothing physical left. Just the trace of magic. Unfortunately, since the magic was faint in both cases, she would be unable to compare the magic signatures.

“Was there anything unusual here when you passed by?” Jesse stood up and leaned against a tree with his hands in his pockets. He tilted his head to one side.

“No. Just the smell.” She studied her surroundings but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Well, nothing besides the large magic fence just yards away. “There might have been some purple flowers but I wasn’t really paying attention.” Jesse shrugged. She returned her attention to him. Marie wanted to check it out but she couldn’t do that with him here. Jesse’s stomach growled and he laughed. “I believe it’s dinner time. We should be heading back.” She checked her watch. Marie stared at the area ahead of her before agreeing with Jesse.

Later, she could come back and check out the other signal. With no way to tell who was on the other side, it would be better to come on her own. Marie needed to find out why someone concealed such a large area with magic. They might have some answers as to what was going on.