赤裸裸的滑稽故事

After a disappointing call with Fiona, Ashleigh was left feeling bitter.

She had gotten her hopes up after her trip to Lily\'s Rest with Myka. For a moment, she thought she had finally found an answer. But that hope was taken from her almost immediately.

Fiona told Ashleigh she had visited the garden shortly after returning to Summer. Instead of the peaceful and beautiful place where she had always sought refuge, she found a grove of death and decay. All the plant life in the area was dead, and even the grass had been affected.

Without knowing the cause, they cleared the area in case it might spread into the forest. Then, they burned away the dead plants and tilled the earth.

Ashleigh was angry. She yelled at Fiona, saying that she should have been consulted. Fiona was quiet and patient. She even apologized for not thinking to call Ashleigh about it.

When she hung up the phone, Ashleigh screamed and flipped the coffee table onto its side, sending her maps in every direction.

She knew the chances were low that Solana\'s Garden would provide an answer. However, she also knew that the dead plants were likely a result of Solana\'s power being cut off.

The mountain was a dead end.

Solana\'s Garden was a dead end.

And though she didn\'t want to admit it, she knew that Spring was a dead end.

Was there really nothing left that she could do?

Ashleigh dropped onto the couch; angry tears rolled over her cheeks as she took slow, strangled breaths.

There had to be something.

Caleb was not gone; he couldn\'t be gone. Because if he was gone, she would feel it. She would know it. He was not gone.

She closed her eyes and took one long, deep breath. Slowly releasing it.

"Think, Ashleigh… think…."

She rocked herself on the couch as she tried to think of any other options, but all she could think of was each time that she destroyed another connection to the ley line.

Every step she took to end the war, every door she closed to keep the Dark Queen from succeeding. Every single one of those actions now kept her from Caleb.

The way gate and mound in Spring, the connection between Summer and Winter, the mound in Moonguard.

Moonguard.

Ashleigh sat up, remembering the events of Moonguard. The helpless monsters, the ancient child.

The Leshy had destroyed the mound with the snap of its fingers. It was a powerful being. Perhaps that was the answer she was looking for.

But she remembered Lily\'s warning as quickly as she had thought of it. Not to mention, the Leshy had already made it clear that it only did what it wanted to do… she was far more likely to annoy it than tempt it to help her.

Still, the mound in Moonguard was something to consider.

The Dark Queen had been forced into her mound; it was a prison. If she could have easily accessed the ley line from there, she would have. But instead, she had to sacrifice countless numbers of her creatures to even come close to touching it.

But the mound of the Goddess? It was entirely possible that it could hold a deeper connection to the ley line. After all, the land was also home to an ancient being. Surely that meant it was inherently more potent than any other land within the werewolf territories?

There was only one way to find out. She needed to go to Moonguard, and Myka had to come with her.

***

After checking in with Myka, Ashleigh was on her way to see Axel.

Myka was hesitant, but he finally agreed, with one condition. He would only go if Axel approved the trip. Ashleigh didn\'t like the idea, mostly because she knew that meant they would have to wait. Axel would insist on sending a scouting party first to ensure there was no danger, which would delay the trip a minimum of a week.

But it was better than nothing.

As Ashleigh approached his office door, she hesitated. After trying to get Alice to take her to Spring, Ashleigh had only visited Axel one other time while he was in the hospital. Even then, she had only stayed a few minutes.

When Corrine told her that he had woken up, she was glad. But, still, she didn\'t visit.

Now, he had been awake for two weeks. He was back at work, and he was making big plans from the rumors and rumblings that Ashleigh overheard occasionally. She didn\'t know the details but had heard it involved the other packs.

Ashleigh swallowed the nerves that were rising up and reached for the handle. She stopped when she heard voices just inside the door.

"We should probably start thinking of some names."

It was Axel\'s voice. Ashleigh felt a soft smile spread on her lips. It was nice to hear his voice again.

"Hard to do when we don\'t know if they are boys, girls, or a mix," Alice replied.

"Easy to find out…." Axel said, his voice taking on a playful lilt.

"Mmm, but then it won\'t be a surprise," Alice replied. She spoke playfully but with sleepiness in her voice. "We like surprises."

"All right," Axel sighed, "we can leave it as a surprise."

Ashleigh heard a soft giggle from Alice, and then they got quiet for several long moments.

"You should go," Axel said, his voice lower. "I can see how tired you are. If you stay any longer, I will only wear you down."

Ashleigh moved away from the door and around the corner of the building. It was clear that her brother and Alice were coming to the door, and she really had no interest in hearing how Alice would respond to Axel\'s comment.

It was another two to three minutes before the door opened. Ashleigh watched from her spot around the corner.

Alice stepped out into the snow, Axel following just behind her. She turned to face him with a gentle smile, and he leaned down to kiss her. Ashleigh turned away.

She swallowed the painful lump in her throat as the image of the hatch entryway to the treehouse appeared in her mind. Still and unmoving. Lifeless.

She clenched her jaw and shook away the thought as she heard footsteps walking away in the snow and the door to Axel\'s office closed.