Page 61 of A Curse So Vile
“Did it scare you?” Orrick asked.
“It should have, but Brenna could never scare me. Not that she’s not fierce. It’s just…there’s a goodness to her one only glimpses in life, and sometimes, not at all.”
“Brenna is more than her Denithian blood. Her blood is old, of legend, from a line so strong, it eclipses any I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When our people came to Dreyléon from our ancient lands, initially, three lines crossed over. Three packs that were very different in nature. One went on to become the Denithians, another, the Ossorians, and the last, ends with Brenna.”
“But Brenna said she was a Denithian?”
“She is, but she’s more. The third line also made a deal with the blood witch to separate their beast form from their human, which set the Ossorians at odds with them, but whereas the Denithians and Ossorians fought, the third line broke away. They were more lone wolves, and it just wasn’t in their nature to band together. Because of this, they were hunted and killed one by one, but a few survived until there was only one who made their home in Cresite Terras. Brenna is of that line.”
“I don’t understand,” Dorthea said. “Wouldn’t that make her weak? Wouldn’t her ancient blood be watered down?”
“Quite the contrary. With the birth of every child, as with the blood gift, the ancient blood is diluted and even our lives shorten. We used to live hundreds of years, now, we have a little over a century. The third line, however, preferred solitude. They had fewer children and never bestowed the blood gift on anyone. Their solitary nature preserved their blood better than both the Denithians and the Ossorians, but the cost was their numbers.”
“And you’re saying Brenna was of that line?” Cole asked.
“Yes. It wasn’t obvious when her grandmother came over, as she was unknowingly dampening her power. Then, she mated with a strong Denithian, and Brenna’s mother, Marium, was born of both Denithian and lone wolf blood. Marium took a powerful mate to bed, producing Brenna, whose blood is so strong, the likes of it hasn’t been seen in centuries.”
“I don’t understand. She spoke of curses, not powerful blood.”
Orrick exhaled, annoyed. “I’m getting to that. It wasn’t until Brenna that I realized what exactly we were dealing with. Her nature was…different. I consulted with a blood witch and was told she was destined to go feral upon her transformation if it happened too young. She offered to place a binding spell on her, ensuring she wouldn’t reach her truest form until she turned twenty-three, when she was old enough to shoulder the burden.”
“How was her lone wolf side able to hide their secret? Surely her grandmother must have suspected something?” Cole asked.
“As you know, the people of Cresite Terras fear magic, thinking it’s what caused the blight on the land. They seek it out, destroying it, root to stem. Power dampeners are everywhere in the territory, built into the very homes of the land. Everyone wears charms to ward off evil. When Brenna’s ancestors first crossed into the territory, they must have acquired a power dampener. I’m sure that over the centuries there were signs, but with the dampener and the influx of human blood from their mates, her line simply forgot.”
“But how could they not know?” Dorthea asked. “You don’t forget something like that.”
“I’m sure they were terrified someone would discover their secret, so they buried it deep, even from themselves.”
“Why does any of this matter?” Cole said, frustrated.
“Because Brenna’s blood is strong and ancient. It’s the most powerful blood I’d ever seen, and eventually, I knew it would be her leading the pack.”
“Why didn’t you tell her this?”
“Because I wanted her to live a full life, and I didn’t want the power to go to her head. She desired to travel, and I reasoned the lone wolf blood was strong in her. Why burden her so young?”
Cole scoffed. “I’ll tell you why. This whole time, Brenna wasn’t a lone wolf traveling the world to sate her curiosity. She thought she was cured and spent every moment searching for a cure.”
Orrick’s mouth dropped. “No…”
“Yes, and now the Ossorians have her.”
Orrick’s hands clenched into fists. “I was a fool for keeping her nature a secret for so long.”
“What will they do with her?”
“If they know, and I’m sure they do, they’ll try to reignite their ancient blood by coupling with her. They’re stronger than us, but their numbers are few because they’d shunned taking human companions for so long. They’ll mate her, creating powerful lines that will wreak havoc on the land.” Orrick exhaled a long breath. “I can’t let that happen.”
“Then how do we get her back?”
Orrick raised his blue eyes to meet Cole’s. “They’re relying on Brenna having an insatiable lust for power and using that to their advantage. But if we can get through to her and remind her of her roots, it could be us she stands with instead.”
“How would we even get to her?”