by N R Tucker
Victoria shrugged, “Once I found the first marker the rest sort of fell into place.”
“Are you sure you deleted all traces of your research?” Destin wasn’t optimistic. IT wasn’t her field of study, so she probably missed the backups.
“Not exactly. I deleted everything I found, and I used a virus to go after the rest. I left six hours ago at the end of my shift and didn’t tell anyone I wasn’t coming back. I doubt they’ve started looking through my files yet.
Destin grinned, “What’s your user ID and password? And where did you get that virus?”
Chapter 10
“I’ll miss you,” Sage sighed. It was hard to watch everyone go to the Farseen, but as the sovereign, it would be a political nightmare if she showed up in the Northern Realm again without an express invitation. That fact did nothing to stop her from feeling guilty.
Landon pulled her in for a quick kiss, “Right back at you. Please take care of yourself and don’t get overloaded.”
She smiled. Structure changes within the Alpha Clan had improved her daily life. She felt guilty about that too. The couple walked to the meeting place in silence.
“Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho. It’s to the Farseen I go,” Ryan sang as he tossed his backpack on his back and followed the others into Tempe’s living room.
“You are mighty chipper,” Sage said.
“Any reason I shouldn’t be?”
The last visit, Kyan had gone to protect Star and Joey’s twins, while Ryan behind remained to guard Sage. This trip, Kyan would remain in the Seen with the twins, and Ryan was one of the invited guests. The other shifter guests were Ben’s children, Bridget, Shawn, and Sara.
“Nope,” Tempe turned to face the team. “Okay, this trip is a little different. It’s a party. As we’re staying in a realm court, we follow their customs. I would remind all female guests that you must behave like ladies of the court. Since I’m the senior attending representative of the shifters, make no plans with any male without my express approval.”
“Yes, Lady Tempest,” Sara and Bridget curtsied beautifully.
Tempe’s lips curved up in amusement. The sisters had done exceptionally well in their realm training. She gave Ryan and Shawn her best headmistress stare, “Mind your manners, and don’t start a war… with any of the realms.”
Both males nodded.
“And for goodness sake, don’t thank anyone,” she muttered.
“As you desire, Lady Tempest,” the four invited guests said in unison, the males bowed, and the females curtsied.
Amid chuckles, Tempe opened a gate, thought happy thoughts, and led the others into the Northern Realm.
The portal platform in the Northern Realm was large but still crowded. Star was accompanied by a total of eight guards, not counting Tempe, and the four invited shifter guests. In total, fourteen visitors from the Seen.
“Fairly met and greetings shifters from the Farseen,” Lady Saffron opened her arms in a welcoming manner.
Tempe smiled, “Sister mine. I did not expect you to greet us.”
“Lord Ellwood is currently attending to his realm. I shall escort your party to the family tree houses. All other visitors will stay in the realm guest quarters.”
Tempe took the lead and Ryan the rear. The rest lined up as they had been instructed. Saffron described various points of interest as they walked, making sure to identify landmarks that would help the new visitors navigate the labyrinth that was every realm residence.
*****
Shawn tried to look interested in what Saffron, no, Lady Saffron, said. But dang, how large did a home need to be? The portal platform was in the fortress part of the castle and, according to Tempe, resided in a mountain. However, it still looked like a castle with walls, floors, and ceilings throughout. This place was larger and more ornate than the largest castles in the Seen. They passed some girls – no, ladies of the court – who qualified as eye candy. Time would tell if their intelligence matched their looks.
The lady with brown horizontal stripes in her white blonde hair smiled at him, and Shawn replied in kind. This place might not be so bad, after all. He would have to talk to Ryan and get more information on court rules. Tempe had gone over the basics, but undoubtedly there was a way to meet up with a lady of the court without having to declare intentions. He wouldn’t mind a little fun but did not want to end up carving vows or, he glanced at Joey, become someone’s consort.
“Careful,” Dylan whispered. “Lady Snowbell is Ridge’s niece.”
Shawn nodded, grateful for the tip. Definitely didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Ridge. Come to think of it, Tempe, Lady Tempest, might feel protective of Lady Snowbell as well. Shawn smiled. A name was the first step.
Geez, she was right. Tempe had warned them they should think in the way they would need to speak in the Farseen. If he slipped this much in his thoughts, Shawn would have real issues speaking, assuming he ever got the nerve to speak out loud.
*****
Sara looked around in wonder. Lord Ellwood’s home was huge. It also served as the Northern Realm’s government offices, but still. She watched Shawn’s exchange of smiles with a lady of the court and was jealous. Sara would be seriously irritated if Shawn enjoyed this trip more than she did. It wasn’t as hard as she expected to remember the rules. Her time at PAC HQ had helped prepare her, and she felt reasonably comfortable with the rules, although it was odd that Lady Tempest would have to approve all of her activities.
Crossing from the formal court into the family tree houses, Sara imagined growing up in such an enchanted place. She glanced out every window they passed and tried not to slow down and stare. Dragons flew overhead, along with a few birds whose colors matched the vibrant feathers of rainforest birds in the Seen. Unicorns, centaurs, and all manner of hoofed creatures stood in herds in the open fields. River merfolk and such swam in the river, and apparently, jellyfish in the Farseen fly through the air as well as swim in the water. Interesting.
Saffron passed a few tree houses without comment. Finally, she pointed to one, “Ryan, you and Shawn are here.” Ryan raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. “Ladies Bridget and Sara will be across the hall. Everyone else will stay where they have before. Itineraries are in each room, and green stars indicate mandatory attendance. Since you reside in the family quarters, know that I shall retain my rooms, but no other guests or Northern Realm residents will stay here. The midday repast is casual.” She left the shifters to themselves.
Tempe headed toward her childhood tree house. Due to its size, it doubled as a meeting room. The massively oversized living quarters had been a gift from Lord Ellwood. A present when she attained her majority. Tempe assumed its purpose was to drive a wedge between her, Val, and Temperance, but it hadn’t worked. It had become a joke for the siblings. “Settle in and meet back here in thirty minutes. We’ll walk back together for the first repast.
Chapter 11
The noon repast consisted of a few members of the Northern Realm and the shifters. It was a gentle introduction for the shifters and concluded without incident. The shifters spent the afternoon touring more of the residence with Saffron, followed by another round of instructions from Tempe on what they were expected to do and, more to the point, not do.
Returning to their quarters, Shawn looked around and took it all in. He couldn’t get over being in a tree house.
As they changed clothes, again, Shawn finally asked the question he had wanted to ask since they arrived. “Okay, what’s with this tree house? You seem surprised to be here.” Dressed for the evening repast, Shawn snarled at his tights and billowy shirt, adjusted his saber, and turned from the mirror. He was a friggin’ pirate. He glared at Ryan who looked okay, even though they were wearing the same style of clothes.
“This treehouse was Val’s.” Ryan shrugged as he tied his bootlaces.
“Val? As in Tempe’s brother? That Val?” Shawn forgot about the depressing clothes. Val was the alpha poster child for doing things wrong unl
ess Tempe was around, and then he was the model brother taken from his family too soon. Everyone in the family learned early in life not to mention Val in a negative light around Tempe.
“That’s the one,” Ryan said.
“Explains the weapons.” Shawn looked around again. “Now I’m afraid to touch anything. Wonder if Tempe will inspect the room to make sure it remains pristine.”
“You and me both. I thought it was a shrine to Val. I know no one has stayed here in the last three thousand years.”
“Wow, there must have been some serious clean up before we arrived.” Shawn looked around again, trying to get a sense of Val. He had a heck of a weapons collection, including a few that defied explanation. It’s possible that they were created to kill a specific lesser fae. If so, it would be wise to not meet those lesser fae.
“According to Tempe, pixies cleaned all rooms, except the dungeons, so I think it stayed clean.” Ryan shrugged.
The door clicked open, and both men turned to face their visitor. Surprised, Ryan asked, “Did you forget to tell us something?”
“No, but I should explain a few things about your quarters. First, no one has stayed here since Val died, either to remind everyone how ruthless Lord Ellwood is or because he felt guilty. This is a subject that has long been privately debated. Second, you should look around the room and make your own impression of Val. Should you find anything of interest, perhaps you should inspect it to determine if it should be shared. Third, I assigned you these rooms, not Father.” Saffron walked out before they could respond.
“Did that sound like an invitation to snoop to you?”
Shawn grinned, “Sure did.”
“Well, all right. That gives us something to look forward to, but right now it’s time to join the others.”
“How the heck did you know that?” Shawn looked down at his wrist, where his watch typically resided. Timepieces ran in the Farseen, but since the Farseen day was shorter, and had fewer than sixty minutes in an hour, it was easy to get confused. They had been warned to leave watches behind.
“The position of the sun and the moons,” Ryan pointed to the open window.
Shawn tossed Ryan the obligatory you’ve-got-to-be-kidding eye roll.
Ryan laughed and waved toward the top of the door. “Itzal meet Shawn. Shawn, Itzal. He’ll pop in to let us know it’s time to be somewhere or see if we need anything.”
Itzal flew down from his perch above the door and stopped less than five inches from Shawn’s face. “Well met, Shawn, shifter of the Seen.”
Resisting the urge to swat the small pixie away, Shawn forced a smile, “Well met.”
“And Ryan is correct. You’re expected in the hall. The others await you.” Itzal popped out of the room.
Shawn shook his head and followed Ryan. Walking down the hall, he glanced around looking for pixies.
Landon leaned over and grinned, “Pixies move too fast for you to track. I spent most of my first visit looking for them. You won’t see them unless they want you to.”
Shawn laughed.
*****
“Ryan, I see you are once again here to guard Lady Star,” Asp commented with a smile and a bow.
“Didn’t you listen to our advisor? Ryan is a guest, the same as we are,” Pagan commented as the Southern Realm approached the shifters to exchange pleasantries.
Asp’s lip turned up in a snarl, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he turned his attention to Sara, gently taking her hand and kissing it, “How refreshing to see you outside of PAC HQ. Are you enjoying your stay in the Farseen?”
“We only just arrived, but I find the Northern Realm enchanting. I look forward to seeing more.”
“I would be pleased to show you around. Perhaps we can set up a day trip to visit Father’s holdings in this realm.”
Before Shawn could tell Asp to back off, Ryan stepped between them. “Asphodel, when did you meet Lady Sara, my cousin.” He emphasized the family relationship.
Sara smiled back at Asp. “We’ve worked together on a couple of projects at PAC HQ.”
Shawn glared at his sister. Was she flirting with this Asphodel? And why wasn’t Tempe telling him to move on? She was supposed to be watching the unmated females. He glanced over at Bridget, expecting his eldest sister to maintain a dignified distance from the fae. Nope. Bridget laughed at something Rune, also from the Southern Realm, said as he kissed her hand. Shawn snarled at the sudden realization he wouldn’t get much R & R on this trip. He hadn’t considered it before, but if the males of the Farseen were going to flirt with his sisters he might need the ceremonial sword attached to his hip, the one Tempe made him practice with regularly after he was selected for this trip. Especially if Sara kept smiling at Asp. He hadn’t realized Sara’s time at PAC HQ gave her access to unacceptable males. In fact, Shawn was surprised she dated.
“Relax, soon as a male completes the formal introduction or hello he can’t talk to your sister again this evening unless Lady Tempest gives permission,” Dylan murmured.
Shawn nodded his acknowledgment of the information, but he didn’t feel better. The intros took forever. The more introductions, the angrier he got. When did his sisters become flirts? To make matters worse, those nearby smiled and glanced Shawn’s way when his stomach growled loud enough to be heard. If this happened at every repast, he would ask Itzal for a snack before every meal. His stomach gurgled its agreement. And seriously, how many sons did Pinus have? After a raised eyebrow from Tempe, Shawn plastered a smile back on his face and greeted yet another son of Pinus.
Finally, the assembled throng of people headed for their seats. The sound of voices could be heard on the landing. Shawn, along with everyone else, looked up to see who had the unfortunate timing to arrive late.
“Lord Ellwood, brother dearest. I knew you wouldn’t mind if I dropped in. I claimed Liron’s escort just as he was leaving PAC HQ for the repast.” Lady Z’s voice carried throughout the room. “I’m afraid I’m responsible for his being late.”
Shawn wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but most of the fae seemed surprised to see her. They also seemed slightly afraid. He had observed Lady Z over the past few weeks and found her to be amusing. Apparently, the fae didn’t agree with him.
Lord Ellwood smiled, “Lady Zylina, my dear sister, welcome. Perhaps Liron can entertain us with songs of his recent travels as payment for his tardiness.”
Liron paled, and a few of the shifters grinned. Liron had indeed written songs and sung a few for his shifter friends, but according to the bard, they were not yet fit for Farseen ears.
While Ellwood spoke, his table was quickly modified to make room at his table for Lady Z. Liron escorted her to the table and promptly moved from the family reunion, joining Lady Saffron at her table, where she held a place for him. Liron sat down, grateful to be away from Ellwood’s table.
*****
Stomach full and happy with the cuisine available in the Farseen, Shawn eyed the band in the final stages of warming up. He had survived his first formal meal without making a fool of himself. He had hoped to get out of dancing since the two female guests from the Seen were his sisters. No joy. Tempe had put the kibosh on that in no uncertain terms. If nothing else, he would dance with his sisters to make sure they did not become wallflowers. Didn’t look like that would be a problem. Quite a few males had approached Tempe since they first entered the hall. Regardless, he stood ready to dance, should any in the Farseen think him a worthy dance partner for whatever female they were responsible for. Apparently, saying no would be a serious insult to the fae in question – and their realm – as this was as much a political meet and greet, as it was a social setting.
At least the first dance, with an order of progression onto the dance floor, was reasonably safe. Lord Ellwood escorted Lady Tempest out on the dance floor, followed by Lady Star and the sovereign’s page. Thinking of Joey as the sovereign’s page still made Shawn, and most of the shifters, smile. Although, thinking of Joey as Star’s
consort made the male shifters laugh. Lady Saffron, escorted by Salix, also hit the floor, along with the senior representatives from the other realms, including Lady Temperance and Cloud of the Central Realm.
At the appropriate moment in the first song, the invited ladies from other realms and the Seen were led to the dance floor by whoever was approved by their guardians. Ryan escorted Lady Dawn, irritating a few males in the room. Shawn and Dylan exchanged smiles. Shawn’s smile immediately turned to a frown as his sisters joined the dance.
“Don’t frown,” Serenity, one of Star’s guards, cautioned.
Shawn schooled his features to a bland expression.
“Better. The males have Lady Tempest’s permission, and on the dance floor their actions are watched.”
Okay, he could respect that logic, but he still didn’t like it. Rune of the Southern Realm twirled Bridget around like a pro. He had seemed friendly and was an acquaintance of Ryan’s, but still, there should be a rule about a brother approving any male who wished to dance with his sisters. And Tempe had some explaining to do. He watched Asp lead Sara out on the dance floor. Like him or hate him, Asp and Sara looked good on the dance floor. Shawn took a deep breath and watched them dance for a minute. Yep, still hated him.
The next opening in the first song, when everyone else could join the dance was fast approaching. He looked around, so far so good. No one had presented him with a lady to squire on the dance floor. He started to relax.
“Shawn, son of Benevolence.”
He turned to see Ridge approaching with his niece, the one with the brown and white striped hair. Now there’s a lady he wouldn’t mind dancing with if he could remember the steps. Smiling, Shawn bowed, “Ridge.”
“I present my niece, Lady Snowbell.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Snowbell.” Shawn followed protocol with a light kiss to her hand and a bow.
“And you as well, Shawn.”