Chapter 88: Charlotte

On the way to Sylvia's shop from the warehouse Greta had shown her, August noticed a grey mist that hung deep in the woods where the sun hadn't been able to penetrate and burn it away. It was an eerie sight today—as if by simply wandering in, one would instantly become lost.

The illumination of Greta's brake lights ahead of her was comforting despite the early afternoon hour. August recognized the turn to Graeme and Greta's childhood home and then a short distance beyond that the wide dirt road that branched off toward the pack house.

The forest seemed to open up and grow livelier beyond the pack house. This was the furthest August had ever been inside pack territory.

The dirt road became wider, and just as they pulled off next to a small cottage, August could see a busy outdoor marketplace with vendors ahead. Other than the pack house and the bonfire, this was really a first for her seeing the lycans out living their everyday lives.

The marketplace reminded her of the downtown area near Eliade where students likely escaped to bars and shops and restaurants when social distancing wasn't in effect. Everything in Eliade had been restricted to curbside and carry-out from the moment August had arrived.

In a strange way, the market in this secret community almost seemed like a return to normal—to pre-pandemic times—where people were freely moving around without masks. Without the fear of contagion that hung so heavily everywhere else in the world. If it weren't for the inherent danger of lycans themselves, being here would almost feel like… a relief.

Greta waited by the front door of the small brick shop for August to catch up. While there was no signage indicating that this was Sylvia's place, the plants and crystals draping the front windows welcomed all those seeking a mystical refuge.

A string of bells chimed harmoniously as Greta and August entered. The space was much bigger on the inside than it appeared from the road. Greta strode straight through the first area adorned with plants and crystals and disappeared further in to seek out Sylvia.

August, on the other hand, was captivated by a pair of massive symmetrical amethyst geodes that stood taller than her with a stone seat between them. They looked like wings. As if they were beckoning her, August walked over and sat on the stone seat with the purple, glittering wings on either side of her.

From her seat, she surveyed the space. Green leaves of varying shapes and sizes rose from the floor and hung from the ceiling all around, bringing the forest indoors. Bowls and shelves of crystals were everywhere. Sun catchers dangled from the ceiling, casting dancing rainbows on every surface. Crystal spheres were held aloft on resin holders shaped like full-figured goddesses.

"August, come dear." August looked up to see Sylvia's smiling eyes and her arms extended to welcome the girl in her arms. "I see you found the wings."

"They're breathtaking," she answered, looking back again at the wings she had left.

"Hard to believe something like that comes from the ground beneath our feet, isn't it?"

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Together they walked through colorful fabric strips strung together as a curtain into a second room. From the bright, naturally-lit front room, they stepped down into a dark space with an otherworldly violet glow created by blue and pink lights in opposing corners. Candles were lit on a coffee table separating two sofas, and the atmosphere was hazy with the scent of incense.

Greta was seated on one sofa next to a dark-skinned woman with silver hair that was twisted out around her like a crown. She wore the same long, flowing robes as Sylvia, but she had an even more potent energy. There was something wise and mysterious about her. With the atmosphere and the women she found herself surrounded by, August suddenly felt like she had descended into a sacred, unknown space.

"I want you to meet a friend of mine, August," Sylvia's velvety voice was next to her. "This is Charlotte," she said, leading August to the woman who stood slowly from where she was speaking with Greta before regarding August with a smile. She looked much older than Sylvia—her skin tissue paper thin and her brown eyes a cloudy blue.

"August Moon Cady," Charlotte said with a depth like wellspring water. Wise. Flowing. Feeding the roots. "It is a pleasure, my dear," that voice swept around her as the woman extended a hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you," August said softly.

"I've seen you already," Charlotte said.

"You've… seen me?" August repeated slowly, not understanding. Was it at the pack house? She couldn't remember seeing this majestic woman anywhere, but that day she was distracted by the impending ordeal with the council.

Charlotte raised a finger to her temple and tapped it gently. "May I tell you about it?" she asked, extending an arm to the seat next to her. Greta shifted over to make room, and Sylvia positioned herself on the sofa facing them.

"Rhiannon," Charlotte started as she and August both sat down. "That's what it reminded me of. My vision of you." Her soft hands found August's and patted them before she continued, her eyes scanning the room in thought.

"But rather than a horse, you were seated on a large boulder rising above the forest," her hand lifted to outline the boulder as if she were seeing it now. "You wore a fur hood with the ears of a wolf. And the longest white tail was trailing behind you like the train of a wedding gown," she finished, turning to August with a gentle smile.

August found herself staring back at the woman in stunned silence. The incense and candlelight had her eyes turning heavy and her head light as the woman regarded her.

"Tell me," Charlotte's voice was smooth. "Has the mate of our returned Alpha had any visions?" her head tilted to the side as she searched August's face.. "Sylvia tells me you see the Veiled."

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