Vowed

by N R Tucker

  No one moved as Lady Z simply disappeared.

  “Who does she think she is?” Aubrey crossed her arms in front of her and glared where the strange female fae had been.

  Nova barked an unhappy laugh, “She thinks she’s the one being that is able to communicate with elementals in all dimensions, and she’s right.”

  “If she were to lead an elemental war against humans and preternaturals, we would lose,” Sage explained.

  “And if she starts that war the fae will leave the Seen with extreme haste. No fae will act against Lady Z.” Lady Sierra looked at Aubrey and added, “I feel a strange obligation to warn you that Lady Z might still be in this room. I know of no one who can see her if she wishes to remain unseen, and there is no shield known to the fae that will keep her outside if she wants in.”

  Aubrey’s mouth dropped open, “You mean she can go anywhere, and no one can stop her?”

  “Yes.”

  “How about Tempest? She’s powerful.”

  Sage shook her head. “You could ask Tempest when next you meet, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Back to the current problem, I need some place to deposit this nuclear waste, or it’s going to drop on the U.N.”

  “What?” Aubrey turned an interesting shade of red.

  “Well, I’m not dropping it on PAC HQ, and since we protected your U.N. from a bomb a while back, I think that’s where the waste should fall. I have no clue where it came from, do you? I wasn’t joking. I can only hold it for a few hours.”

  “Then hand it off to someone else.”

  “No! This ends now. You give me a place to drop this waste that is secure, or I drop it on the U.N. You have one hour to provide a location.” Sage turned and walked out of the room knowing full well that the humans would provide access to one of their nuclear containment facilities. She just hoped it was soon. The strain of keeping the waste contained was already wearing on her.

  Nova smiled and followed the young shifter. As the door closed, Lady Sierra said, “I think I like this new sovereign.”

  *****

  “Did everyone enjoy themselves?” Tempe asked once the shifters were gathered in Tempe’s oversized tree house. It had become their default meeting place.

  “Wonderful. You grew up in a magical place,” Bridget dropped onto one of the large pillows.

  Tempe smiled at her niece, but her expression was pained. “Some days it was magical, other days, not so much. Seen news update, someone dropped a nuclear bomb on PAC HQ. Sage encased it in a shield before it exploded, and the waste was placed in a containment box and sent to a nuclear facility for storage. No injuries, but apparently a U.N. representative made a bad suggestion, and Lady Z has vowed she will lead the elementals in a war against the Seen if they don’t clean up their act.”

  “Do we know who dropped the bomb?” Ryan’s voice rose over all other questions and comments.

  “No, but we’ll find out. Tomorrow I’ll be in closed meetings all day. Ryan will approve all activities.”

  “It’s official, these rules are weird. I’ve got at least sixty years on him,” Bridget commented.

  “Yes, you do, but you don’t outrank him,” Tempe replied.

  Bridget shook her head. Ryan pressed his lips together to keep from smiling.

  “Okay, cousin, Tempe already approved my pre-breakfast walk with Asp. You better not mess with my plans.” Sara glared at him. To Tempe she asked, “Anything else?” and left when Tempe shook her head.

  Tempe turned to Joey, “You’ll be with me for the first hour tomorrow, but then you’ll be able to rejoin Star.”

  “Who will be with milady?” Joey winced at how quickly he reverted to using milady in reference to Star. It got him a lot of ribbing in the Seen when he made the mistake back home.

  “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much,” Star stood and walked toward the door. “Come, you can apologize while we dress for dinner.”

  Joey gaped after her.

  “She knows to remain with her guards anytime I’m in closed meetings. For goodness sake, go after her,” Tempe gently pushed him toward the door.

  Joey left, and the others followed.

  Ryan waited until the others had left and asked, “Is everyone alright? Should I return?”

  “Emergency plans are in place. Kyan will not leave Sage’s side for any reason until we return.”

  He nodded, “Okay, next crisis. What did the reds want?”

  Tempe sighed. “I’m to present myself to Ralliner, supreme matriarch of the reds, at sunrise tomorrow.”

  “Can a dragon summon you like that?” his eyebrow raised.

  “The supreme matriarchs can,” Tempe said. “If a supreme matriarch summons a ruling fae and they don’t attend, the matriarch responds by calling all of their dragon tribe and attacking that fae’s realm.”

  “Want me with you?”

  “No, you’ll remain with the shifters. Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.”

  Don’t worry, not likely. Ryan needed more information, but her stance indicated she had said all she would say on the subject. As he walked toward the door, he asked, “By the way, was the sleeping werewolf a magical day?”

  “The sleeping werewolf? Don’t tell me the bards still sing that song?” Tempe laughed.

  “Someone alluded to it today,” he admitted.

  “I was around ten when that incident occurred. I had to explain my bloodied condition to Lord Ellwood in his crowded receiving chambers. That resulted in the first song ever sung about me. The bard who wrote it seemed to think it would be a better song if I were brave and undaunted, not scared to death.”

  Ryan laughed and walked out. Alone in the hallway, he shook his head. His aunt killed her first werewolf before she could shift or had any shifter powers.

  Chapter 16

  “What’s the catch?” Sara eyed them with distrust.

  “No catch.” Shawn held his hands up in surrender.

  Ryan returned her gaze with an innocent expression. “We decided to run to Koukakala Falls during the full moon. They mark the border between the Northern Realm and the Western Realm. It’s the first time we’ve had a full moon in the Farseen during Star’s visit, and apparently, the pull is strong if more than one moon will be full. We thought you might like to invite Asp to join us, is all. We know we haven’t been friendly to him. Just trying to make peace,” Ryan shrugged.

  “Isn’t that a long hike?”

  “Round trip is just under forty miles. We will run out there and then we’ll either run or open a gate back. We’ll shift, and the fae will run. The fae are pretty fast on open ground.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask, but this better be on the up and up.” Sara still didn’t trust those two. She walked away and headed straight for Tempe, only to find Star and Bridget with her.

  “What’s up?” Tempe looked up from some paperwork.

  Not one to beat around the bush, Sara asked, “Did you approve the moon run to Koukakala Falls?”

  “Yes, did Ryan do such a bad job of explaining it?”

  “No, but he and Shawn have been so anti-Asp I wanted to make sure they weren’t cooking something up,” Sara admitted.

  Tempe smiled, “Father Aldous, Bridge, and I will chaperone, along with Star’s guards, Captain Tero’s Air Guard Squadron and a select few of the Northern Realm warriors, so I doubt anyone will start anything on this hike.”

  “Good, I want to meet Asp’s father.” Sara turned and left, happy with the arrangement.

  Bridget turned to her powerful aunt. “Seriously, you’re making it far too easy for them.”

  “Yes, I am. With so much togetherness, either Sara or Asp will grow bored and end it, or we need to be on speaking terms with Asp. You should just be glad that Father Aldous and I are friendlier than we used to be.”

  *****

  “I expected Ridge to go with us.” Star looked around.

  Tempe shook her head, “While they can behave in large gatherings where
they don’t have to interact, Ridge and Father Aldous do not attend the same small functions.”

  Star’s mouth dropped opened. Perhaps the songs she had heard as a child were true. There were various versions of a dispute between Ridge and Father Aldous concerning an unknown lady (though many assumed it was Lady Tempest) of an unspecified court, but no one who saw the exchange would tell the tale. Most fae viewed the songs as fiction. Neither male came out the winner in any of the versions.

  “I’ve heard three versions of the rift between Ridge and Father Aldous. I wonder which is accurate, assuming it’s a true tale?” Rune commented to no one after Lady Tempest left, although his eyes cut to Asp.

  Asp shrugged, “I’ve heard five, and Father will not discuss the subject with me. Last time I asked, he released one of his young reds to chase me. I won’t ask again.”

  “Aren’t young dragons at least ten feet long?” Shawn looked over in surprise.

  Asp nodded.

  Shawn grinned, surprised he agreed with Asp. “In that case, I suspect none of us should ask. As his son, you might get a young dragon, but the rest of us would probably get a full grown, hungry dragon.”

  Asp returned the grin. The casual first meal had been pleasant, and the day was beautiful. He had enjoyed spending time with Sara back at PAC HQ, and that was before he found out she was Ryan’s cousin. He had observed the looks that passed between Ryan and Shawn. Neither male was happy with Sara’s choice, upping his pleasure.

  “Father, ‘tis pleasant to see you,” Asp bowed as Father Aldous approached. The others joined him in a formal bow.

  “I’m sure it is,” Father Aldous inclined his head. He nodded to the young and walked over to join the chaperons.

  “I shall join the run this day.” The younger set looked over in surprise. Lady Saffron wore combat clothes instead of her standard high heels and flowing dress.

  A few minutes later Tempe said, “Shifters, two of the three moons are lined up to be full tonight. The pull will be stronger than normal. Enjoy the run, but don’t chase anything without approval. As you’ve already learned, not all is as it seems here.”

  Everyone nodded. The briefing had been long and detailed earlier in the today. The moons called, and the shifters answered. Ryan took his lion form but was ready to turn into a dragon if needed.

  Tempe and Saffron shifted together, Tempe to a jaguar and Saffron to a tiger. Father Aldous, closest to Saffron, eyes widened, but he didn’t move otherwise. The rest of the fae gasped as Lady Saffron bounded across the field and led the shifters in their run. It was the first time Saffron had shown her animal self to the fae of any court.

  At mile five, Shawn admitted to himself he was impressed. He hadn’t believed the fae would keep up with shifters running in their other forms. He was wrong. The fae were apparently built for long distance running. No wonder they didn’t use cars and such. In his human form, he could not match the pace Lady Saffron set. Happily, his mastiff had no issues, and he paced Lady Snowbell. The Ladies Snowbell, Dawn, and Misty were as fast as Pagan, Asp, and Rune. Lady Fawn was faster. She practically flew over the ground, however, she didn’t fly. She ran even with Saffron who remained at the front, probably to make sure the shifters didn’t take a wrong turn. Father Aldous and Bridge kept pace with the ladies, though it was evident that they weren’t working all that hard and could pour on speed if needed. Ryan and Tempe moved around in the pack, keeping an eye on everyone.

  Most of Star’s guards flew overhead. Abbie, a wizard, had stayed behind, but Siri, a wizard fae half-breed, soared through the sky with the Central Realm Air Guard. Sam, Serenity, and Phoenix took their bird forms and flew lazy circles around the runners.

  At mile twelve Asp admitted, if only to himself, that he was impressed. The shifters could move. For the second time, Sara took the form of a small white dog she called a Samoyed. He stayed close because she couldn’t weigh more than fifty pounds. If anything attacked, she would be so much fodder. Why didn’t she choose a more powerful form? Even a bird would be safer than such a small canine predator.

  The trail Saffron followed crossed the Kaveri River twice going west toward Koukakala Falls. At the first crossing, near her home, a pod of merfolk swam with jellyfish and a river dragon clutch. They were the same merfolk that had begged for the dragon’s life on the first tour of the Northern Realm. The largest dragon reared to its full height. Asp moved between Sara and the dragon at the same time Ryan did.

  The dragon smiled and bowed, “Worry not, I have informed the dragons of my flock to be courteous to the visiting shifters, as they were courteous to my youngest son.” He turned his eyes to face Saffron and Tempe, still in their large cat forms, “Tis good to see the daughters of Lord Ellwood running together. You have been missed by many, Lady Tempest.”

  Tempe inclined her head but didn’t shift to speak.

  “Your understanding and restraint did not go unnoticed.”

  Ryan turned, still in lion form, expecting to see river merfolk. What he saw surprised him. The male who had spoken had the single tailfin of a sea merman, but he had wings on his back like a nymph. A female with the same appendages flew down to join him.

  “I am pleased with the result as well,” Ryan replied after he shifted, thinking that Star needed to add this species to her list of Farseen creatures. Were they merfolk or nymphs? Good thing the shifters were in their other forms or someone would probably have said something insulting, or at least inappropriate. Hopefully, he wouldn’t.

  The merman-nymph turned to Lady Saffron, “I am gratified to see you running in the forest. It has been too long.”

  Saffron shifted, “Well met, Tehuti. I have little time for such pursuits now.” Turning to Ryan, the only shifter in human form, she added, “Tehuti and Kailani are siblings. They moved to the Northern Realm before I reached adulthood, and we have long been friends.”

  Ryan nodded but didn’t speak for fear he would say something wrong. It was rare that lesser fae who didn’t conform to standards survived to adulthood, but now that he looked at them, they must have had nymph and merfolk parents, and it appeared Saffron had been their patron. That would explain why they had lived.

  Ryan and Saffron shifted, and the run resumed.

  To cool down, everyone slowed down to a trot for the final mile to the falls. Shawn topped one last hill and could see the falls he had been able to hear for a while, along with a picnic spread that would please a prince. Excellent, he was starved.

  Tempe shifted and drew her Sais, “Was anyone expecting this?”

  “No,” Bridge pulled his weapon and eyed the spread in distrust. No one ate unattended food in the Farseen. Everyone in human form followed suit. The shifters spread out to better defend the group, even though they were confused by the concern.

  Lord Ellwood appeared. He took in the battle-ready condition of the runners and smiled, “I believe the human expression is, ‘surprise,’” he spread his arms out. “Lord Layton and I prepared a post run snack.”

  The runners relaxed, marginally.

  In their dragon forms, Lord Layton, and his young twins, landed beside Lord Ellwood and shifted. Delton headed for the food, “Brilliant, I’m starved.”

  Layton placed a hand on his shoulder, “Greetings first, food second.”

  Delton rolled his eyes. He hated the trappings of court life. He bowed a single bow to everyone, “Well met,” turned back to his father, “Food now?”

  Father Aldous grinned, “Delton, you remind me of your Grandmother. Come, let us lead the others to this snack.”

  Asp frowned, and his eyes narrowed on Delton. “If I had done that Father would have rearranged my reality and not in a good way.”

  Breton overheard Asp and nodded his agreement. Only Delton could insult the entire party and amuse Father Aldous at the same time. Breton sighed. He would have been grounded for a hundred years.

  *****

  Shawn finished dressing, ready to get to the final formal repast of the trip.
He looked in the mirror and grimaced. He would never get used to looking like a pirate. Shawn headed for the door.

  “What’s your hurry?” Ryan asked.

  Shawn tried for nonchalant, “Just a walk before the last meal.”

  “Are you walking alone or with someone? Perhaps Lady Snowbell?” Ryan raised an eyebrow in a Tempesque move.

  “Just a walk. We didn’t plan to meet up,” Shawn forced an easy smile.

  “Uh huh,” Ryan didn’t buy that for a second and narrowed his gaze at his cousin. “Did you, perhaps, mention that you might take a walk before the evening repast?”

  “Might have mentioned I wanted to stretch my legs. Anything wrong with that?”

  “No. Be careful. You cause an incident and Tempe will have both our heads, once the fae finish with you.”

  Shawn patted Ryan on the shoulder before leaving, “Just a walk, cousin. Promise.”

  Ryan shook his head, both envious and irritated. Envious because he would love to meet up with Lady Dawn, and irritated because that wasn’t going to happen. Any unauthorized meeting between him and Dawn would cause a real incident between the fae and the shifters.

  Shawn headed for the hall of battles to view depictions of great battles fought – and won – by the Northern Realm. Oddly enough it was a good meeting place. If you happened to bump into someone there, because you were both admiring the carvings, well, how proper.

  He didn’t bother to look out the windows. The creatures of the Farseen had become almost normal to him. Besides, the only Farseen creature Shawn wanted to see was a beautiful Lady of the Northern Realm with black, horizontal stripes in her white blonde hair. He slowed his gait to something resembling a stroll and stopped at the first carving he came to. Looking over the pillar, it was obviously one of Lord Ellwood’s more recent battles. Wondering how long he should devote to each column, he continued to stare at the intricate carvings.

  “You might want to view the scenes from oldest to newest,” Lady Saffron commented as she walked by. “Lady Snowbell is currently viewing the oldest carving in the hall, and she knows the battles, if you have questions.”