Panthers of Brigantia Shifter Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  He watched her for a moment, trying to determine if she was being serious or if she was testing him. “Yes, sometimes we are, and that is what we spend years learning—how to keep ourselves under control.” Ignacio’s green eyes flashed as he looked into hers.

  “Then you all must be very good.” She tilted her head to the side, “I think that you have shown me more emotion in the last few minutes than I have seen from everyone in my entire life. You always seem to have more emotions than anyone else.”

  Ignacio looked away from her, “I am still young and have not yet learned how to hide everything. I hope that it does not cause you harm or discomfort.”

  She placed a hand on his face and pulled his gaze back to hers, “How can it hurt me? Seeing such honest emotion makes me happy. I wish that you would be as open and honest with me as you have asked me to be with you today.”

  His face turned a bright pink, and Ignacio began to stammer as his eyes seemed unable to look into hers, “I don’t think that is a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  Pursing his lips, Ignacio seemed at a complete loss for words.

  Rosaline moved toward him a little as he had done for her not long ago. She was aware than his face was even hotter, so she put her hand back in her lap as she spoke, “You wanted to help me be able to talk, and now I feel so much better. It still hurts.” She tapped her chest to emphasize how she felt. “But now I can put it into words. The memory of their faces was...”

  She was beginning to get lost in the images as a gentle voice near her supplied, “Haunts you?”

  Nodding vigorously, Rosaline agreed with Ignacio, “Yes. Yes. They were haunting me, but now, I understand why. Talking to you about it helped me understand what I was feeling.”

  A lopsided grin appeared on Ignacio’s face, “I’m glad I could help you. Something seemed off ever since we met up, but you wouldn’t talk about it. Even Orion said that he was concerned, and he feared that you should not have gone.”

  “Oh, but it was good for me!” Her voice was a little louder than she had meant for it to be. “I learned so much from it. Before I left, I had no idea why people were so upset about the Unwashed, but now I have seen what they have done, and I understand why people are so upset. Even I am angered by them, and I had never really understood how strong anger could be.”

  A pale hand reached up and brushed a bit of her hair away from her face. Only then did Rosaline realize that she had been talking so animatedly that some of her hair had gotten in her mouth. She blinked at Ignacio as he finished pressing her hair behind her ear. His eyes looked a little strange as he said, “Your hair really is a lovely color. And your new hairstyle really suits you.”

  Rosaline stared at him for a moment. It was the first time she could remember anyone saying anything about her appearance. “You… you like my hair?”

  “Of course, who doesn’t?” He smiled at her, “It’s like the color of starlight reflected on the ocean.”

  “No one has ever told me that.” She stared at him for a moment.

  Their eyes locked with his hand so close to her face.

  A voice from nearby caught their attention, “Rosaline, the priestesses are wondering where you are.”

  Ignacio jumped up, turning his back to her just as Orion appeared in the doorway. Rosaline stared at Ignacio’s back, unsure why he had reacted that way.

  “Oh, Ignacio, you are here, too. I was certain that you had already headed out, you were so eager to leave not long ago.”

  Ignacio looked at Orion, “I encountered Rosaline as I was heading to pack what I will need. As you said, she seemed burdened by something, so I offered myself as a listener.”

  One of Orion’s eyebrows went up as he looked at his mentee, “I bet you did. Get going.”

  Ignacio turned and gave a slight bow to Rosaline before offering her his hand. She took it. As he pulled her from the bench, he murmured, “I am very glad that I could help. Remember how you felt just now and you will be fine as you recount that to the priestesses. They will understand that you are still learning, and that what you obtained from this mission will help you on your path.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to reply. As soon as Ignacio finished speaking, he spun on his heel and hurried past Orion.

  “My apologies. He is young and still has much to learn in this area.” Orion approached Rosaline.

  “There is no need for you to apologize. He was right, and I am indebted to Ignacio for his assistance.”

  “I am glad to hear it. You do appear… less burdened now.”

  “Did I do right talking to him? He looked so flushed and showed so many emotions, I am now worried that perhaps I put too much on poor Ignacio.”

  “I think that he can handle it better than you. He is more accustomed to emotions and has more experience controlling them.”

  “But isn’t he going on a mission?” Rosaline looked at Orion, wondering if he would be honest about the reason Ignacio was leaving. After everything that had just happened, she wondered what made Dulce special to Ignacio. She suspected that he might be in love with the woman, but the idea seemed very unwelcome to Rosaline.

  An assassin and a seer. It’s ridiculous. Why would they let him go if that were the case? It must be something else. He must want to save her the way he wanted to… Rosaline frowned as her mind followed a track that didn’t make her feel any better.

  “Perhaps I spoke too early.”

  Rosaline looked up at Orion, “I’m sorry?”

  “You look a little out of sorts. Are you sure you are alright?”

  “I am… I am just worried about placing an unnecessary burden on Ignacio before he goes on a mission. He is good. Very good. But he seemed more emotional just now.”

  “Yes, he would.” Orion smiled but provided no additional information.

  “Is it because of what I told him?”

  “I think it is because you told him more than what you told him.” Orion offered only a friendly smile.

  Rosaline tilted her head to the side, “It is difficult to imagine you judging people. You seem so kind-hearted and gentle.”

  “Is it any easier to imagine Caspian killing?”

  “Noooo. He doesn’t seem like he could kill either. He seems to love everyone. Almost everyone.” The image of him pushing her further down her path appeared in her mind, but it was quickly chased away by another image. A pair of lovely green eyes looked into hers as the words were murmured, It’s like the color of starlight reflected on the ocean. Rosaline realized that she was smiling. “I guess that is what you guys do. They can never see it coming. Is that hard to live with?”

  Orion looked back at her, “There is a different answer for each case. We do what we must because it is the path each of us chose. We knew what we were getting into, and we accepted that.”

  “How do you know that it was the right path?”

  Orion frowned and was silent for a few moments, “Each assassin has a different answer to that. My lady,” he bowed, “I would love to stay and chat, but the priestesses are waiting for you. I myself was quite shocked that you had not been to talk to them yet.”

  Rosaline placed her hand on her lip, “I wasn’t ready yet. But I am now. Thank you, Orion.”

  As she passed him, Orion gently grabbed her upper arm, “Rosaline, is there…” They stared at each other for a few moments, but Orion did not seem able to finish the question. He seemed to realize that he had grabbed her arm and he quickly released it, giving her a slight bow of his head.

  Rosaline tilted her head to the side and gave him a smile, “You are concerned. That is very kind of you, but it is alright.” She patted his hand, knowing that it would make him feel better. “Please be careful, Orion. You should not live with regrets because I know that you feel a lot more than you are willing to show. Don’t let it make you as bitter as it has made Caspian. You are all that holds us together sometimes because you can see what others don’t. Be as good to yourself as you a
re to others because we are all going to need you soon. The light, caring you that never wants to harm anyone suits you much better than the brooding, moping you.” She gave him a sorrowful smile as his smile faltered. Aware that she had just given him a new burden, she knew it was one he needed for the trials he was about to face. Rosaline did not envy him, but she knew Orion would be alright. He was always alright.

  As she headed toward the temple, Rosaline’s mind was wandering out into another part of the Marlyon and a different assassin. Talking to the priestesses now didn’t seem nearly as bad as worrying about what was going to happen in Ishtar.

  Chapter 3

  A Round of Disappointing Discussions

  “Once the perpetrators were pulled into the loop, I opened one of the cages and instructed the people inside to release the rest of the prisoners. I had wanted to save the women who were being controlled, but there wasn’t any way to break through to their cores. As the prisoners were working to free themselves, I dispatched the puppets and looked for my assassins.”

  Rosaline concluded the series of events and looked at the older women seated around her. She stood in the middle of a half circle, and the priestesses sat in silence until her report ended.

  “So, you… put them in a time loop? By yourself?”

  Rosaline nodded her head, “I am afraid that the shock of the torment that the women suffered took me by surprise. Not having properly understood what was happening, I’m afraid that emotions slipped in, and my magic was proportionate to the anger I felt.”

  The priestesses looked at each other before the eldest spoke, “That is some very strong magic. It is concerning if your emotions were so strong.”

  “I know and accept that. When people told me about what the Unwashed were doing, it seemed wrong, but I think that the reality was too… distant. Seeing the pain, fear, and results of the torture that the Unwashed had wrought, seeing the women who were turned into puppets, I wasn’t prepared. That made it easy for my emotions to come out. I have learned not to underestimate the truth just because it is so distant.”

  A couple of the women stood up and walked over toward her and led her to a chair. The eldest priestess spoke again, “We understand. It is beyond anyone’s comprehension. But you have got to learn to keep those emotions away before you become a high priestess. You know that strong emotions could do serious damage. I suppose it was our fault for letting you go out when you are so inexperienced. After the way you handled the last couple of missions, we thought that it would help you to understand your abilities better. It had not occurred to us that you might have an emotional reaction. I guess we thought that you were further along learning to control your emotions. We will accept the failure, but please spend the next few months learning how to cope with your emotions better.”

  Rosaline looked around at the priestesses and kept her expression blank. “Thank you,” was the only response she could think of to fit the situation.

  Several of the women gave mild smiles at each other and nodded. It was clear that they thought they had solved the problem.

  Rosaline stood up, “But I still must tell the high priestesses about this. They need to know that the timeline will need to change.”

  The priestesses responded by looking at each other. The eldest one smiled and stood up, “You have grown up so much. We hardly need to guide you now. It is just as expected, you are going to make a wonderful, strong high priestess.”

  Rosaline bowed her head to them, unable to tell them that their words were no comfort to her. “I wish you a good day, ladies.” Blocking their conversation as she left the room, Rosaline knew that she needed to understand what was happening. The problem was that none of the people that she knew could really help her. Talking to one of the high priestesses might help, but she very much doubted it. Pushing her hair back for what felt like the hundredth time since her return, Rosaline headed toward the cloistered area.

  “Was that a sigh?”

  Rosaline stopped and looked around, knowing full well that she wasn’t going to see anyone. “Darius? What are you doing?”

  “I am talking to you.”

  A small smile flitted across her face, “Yes, I suppose that is true.”

  “Are you alright, Rosaline?”

  For a fraction of a second, Rosaline was about to say something, but found that she wasn’t quite able to talk about her thoughts. The familiar smile spread across her face, “I think I am just a little tired. I’m not exactly accustomed to the kind of work that we did out there, and I have not slept well since it happened.”

  Her words were met with silence, and for a moment she thought perhaps Darius had left. “Are you sure that it isn’t something more serious?”

  Rosaline forced a laugh, “Of course. It was like a crash course in understanding the world at large, something that I will need later.”

  “Yeees,” his tone was definitely not what she was accustomed to hearing. “I suppose that is true, but…” The conversation seemed to stop as he thought about what he wanted to say. “You seem to be changing. Over the last year, your… actions have been less predictable.”

  “Thank you, Darius. I appreciate your concern. It is very kind, and unexpected.” She smiled.

  “Unexpected?” The word seemed to take him by surprise. “You think that I don’t care?”

  Rosaline laughed, “No, I think that you have your emotions so under control that it is impossible to detect them. I’ve never known you to express anything other than certainty. It’s kind of,” she giggled, “cute.”

  “I am glad that I can entertain you.”

  “Darius!” A voice hollered from down the hall. “Darius! I know you are around here, skulking in the shadows.”

  Rosaline turned and saw Itzel stalking down the hall. She beamed at the small druid. “Hi, Itzel. He’s skulking just over there,” she stuck her thumb out toward the shadow.

  Itzel stopped just a few steps from her and turned her eyes to the shadows, “Ah, should have known.” She pointed toward something that Rosaline couldn’t see, “It’s impossible to miss those shiny pink eyes and shockingly white hair.”

  Rosaline tilted her head to the side and looked toward the shadow again. She saw nothing even remotely like what Itzel had described. Laughing, she patted Itzel on the shoulder and walked toward the cloistered area, “You always know how to make people laugh, Itzel.” Though Itzel was a number of centuries older, Rosaline was more than a foot taller than her; then again, she was a lot taller than most of the druids.

  “Oh, right. Rosaline,” Itzel had taken a few steps toward the shadows, but was looking at the druid, “when you have some time, I would like to talk with you about something.”

  Rosaline shrugged, “Sure. I just need to talk with one of the high priestesses first, then I’m all yours.”

  Itzel laughed, “There’s no rush. I don't have anything going on for, well, the foreseeable future. Just come around to my area when you are done. Darius will be done with me by then.”

  Rosaline laughed a little as Itzel animatedly chatted with the shadows. She came across as a little airheaded, but when it came down to it, she was as shrewd and calculating as an assassin. Rosaline turned and kept walking. Itzel was one of the few druids who treated her just like everyone else, but it went beyond just the way she treated Rosaline. Several times, Rosaline had been surprised at just how lively Darius’s voice was when talking with her. Apart from the assassins, Itzel was the only other person who could get him to express anything like emotions.

  Except for just now. He seemed a little emotional with you, didn’t he? She began picking at her lip as she reached the cloistered area. The taste of blood let her know that she had been too unaware of what she was doing. Taking a deep breath, Rosaline prepared for the discussion she was about to have, knowing full well how it would go. As her hand reached for the door, Rosaline realized that she didn’t feel anything about being reprimanded for her emotions. That’s a first. Perhaps I am getti
ng more accustomed to it.

  She entered the area and asked to speak with one of the high priestesses. The discussion took more than an hour, and she was told to go reflect on her actions, but the high priestess told her that her ability to recognize that she had been emotional was a good start. It would make it easier to counter the emotions later. Rosaline felt that there was something wrong with the end results, but they were exactly as she had expected them be.

  As she neared her chambers, she sighed. After years of living a predictable life, the last year had been different. Rosaline had noticed that her thoughts had started to change some years ago, but each time she left Marlyon she had come back less certain of her path. And today three people had seemed to notice.

  Closing her door, Rosaline leaned against it and placed a fist against her mouth, trying to silence her thoughts. She gently bit her finger, trying to work out why exactly she was having so many problems. The only time when she felt at peace lately was when… she frowned and looked at the wall. “That can’t be right.”

  Moving her hair out of her face, Rosaline felt frustrated. “No, this is simply too short.” Focusing on her hair, she coaxed the hair to grow several inches so that it was easier to pull out of her way. She grabbed a few clips and set the hair out of her face so that it was difficult to tell that she had used magic on it. That was definitely an inappropriate use of her abilities, but Rosaline told herself that it was necessary because her hair was causing her to feel more. It was unlikely anyone would have detected the magic, and she felt certain that no one would notice the change in length.

  “Oh, right. Itzel.” Rosaline turned and hurried across the large complex looking for Itzel’s quarters.

  “Ah, there you are, Rosaline. I was beginning to fear you might have forgotten about me.” Itzel smiled and opened the door to her quarters. They were larger and much more comfortable-looking than Rosaline’s. “Come on in. Would you like something to drink?”