by L M Lacee
“They are not human. So therefore shifters.”
“No.” The sheriff shook his head. “They are not and selling them is wrong. Is this who we are now?”
The male behind the desk said in a hard voice. “I am the sitting judge and mayor of this county. We are human but they are not. What are we meant to do? Every day more and more of these things. These non-humans appear in the world you see them on the news every night. They are overtaking us, soon if we do not halt this, humans will find they are the minority and then where will be?”
“Alive! With a clear conscience.”
The judge stood up, he was as tall as the sheriff but not as thick in the chest or legs. Sparrow thought that the male did not like to train.
“We are outnumbered. They are stronger than us, quicker, mentally more evolved we cannot compete. Ned listen to me in a few years they will rule this world. They will take over the governments, the banks. There will be no place for us in their world.” The sheriff said nothing for a little while. He just looked at the male and if Sparrow had to guess, she would say it was with pity.
Eventually, he said. “I believe that you are wrong. I have lived and worked with most types of shifters. They just want what we want to live and work, to raise their young. No different to what they did before they came out.”
The other male opened and closed his mouth several times finally he said. “Then why did you go along with me?”
The sheriff laughed. “Because I honestly thought they would never find their way here. I mean seriously who would think otherwise. We are in the middle of nowhere, a quiet sedate little town just like hundreds of others. We don’t stand out, so…”
He shrugged his large shoulders and threw his badge on the desk and placed his gun beside it. “I will not stop you, but I will not be a party to what you are doing. You are family, so I cannot turn you in. Just count me out. I resign.”
Sparrow wanted to yell at the male, by doing nothing, he was doing something. He was allowing this to happen. Turning a blind eye was like burying his head in the sand as Lady Charlie would say. Sparrow agreed with her this male was taking the easy way out. By resigning his commission he was saying he was not strong enough to stand up for what was right. As Sparrow looked at him she thought he was wrong, he was strong enough. He was torn between duty and family.
“Think about what you are throwing away Ned.” Said the Judge. “Think about what you are giving up. The town you fought back in the war for! Ned, cousin, look at what you are doing? You are throwing away respect and your career for what. Animals?”
“If this is what I have to do to keep both of those. I want none of them. Maybe cousin you should reconsider. This is a game you could very well end up losing and I will not be here to help you.”
The Judge shrugged. “I have no idea how to stop what is about to happen and in truth I am unsure if I want too. The people I made this deal with will not be pleased if I back out now. I fear what they will do to the town or me if I don’t follow through.”
The sheriff looked at the male and Sparrow now read disgust and shame in his eyes and on his face. He said and the disgust sounded loud and clear in his voice. “You should have thought of that before you sold away all our souls Ian.”
“For the sake of some non-humans you will throw away the town. All these good people you swore to protect?” Sneered the Judge.
The sheriff just shook his head and walked out of the room they could hear his steps as he jogged down the steps. The Judge slumped into his chair Sparrow was about to fly away when he lifted a phone to his ear and she heard him say. “Jenkins. This is Mayor Sampson. Ned is out. You are now sheriff. Be at my office at eight. The truck will be here then…Listen to me stay away from the jail… No listen if anyone sees you there tonight. I will make sure you end up like that fucker you killed today…Do I make myself clear.”
He listened for several minutes then said “Yes I agree. Eight o’clock. Do not let me down and stay away.”
Sparrow flew to where her team waited. Sparrow was worried she knew the Elves were in danger the fat male would not stay away. He would kill Thorn and definitely as many of the others as he could. Once she was sure all her team were present and unhurt she made the signal for flight.
CHAPTER TEN:
H arper hands on hips stood staring at her shadow and calmly asked again. “He went where with who?”
Ace swallowed and tried for a smile. He, like everyone else in Charlie’s office where he had been summoned to when apparently someone, who if he had to guess was Frankie, told Harper Clint had gone on the mission with Andre` and Ark. He did not trust that calm tone she was using, he swiftly checked her over for knives, then he told her. “My love he is with Andre` on a mission, he asked to go as medical support and I with Sharm agreed. Ark is with him plus a unit of Shields.”
“I see, and you thought this was a good idea?”
“Oh man she is pissed, see how controlled she is. She only gets like that before her knives come out.” Whispered Frankie to Charlie who stood next to her eating an apple. “Should we intervene?” Storm asked.
“No, he brought it on himself much like Johner did when she found out he tagged me.”
“Call it like it was, he chipped you!” Snarled Charlie still not happy about that, Frankie grinned. “Tagged sounds nastier.”
“He loves and worries about you.” Storm tried to stand up for his brother even though secretly he understood he was appalled at his methods of keeping track of his shadow. Frankie smiled. “Oh, I know but still tagged.”
Storm grunted as Charlie asked him. “Are you up for a trip?”
He answered with a nod of his head as he took a huge bite of his apple.
Frankie sighed. “Well, I cannot go. I have stuff to do for her Ladyship.”
Charlie looked at her. “Does she know you call her that?”
“As if I would say it where she can hear.”
Ace speculated at how much trouble he was in and told Harper. “My heart he will be alright.”
Harper nodded as her eyes turned ghost grey. “Of course he will be, when we arrive to protect him and then bring him home.”
“You cannot do that.” Reighn said as he entered, she turned those eyes on him. “Excuse me?”
Suppressing the shiver that wanted to crawl over his skin he told her. “You cannot treat him like a baby dragonet. He will be embarrassed and think you have no trust in him. If you drag him home by the ear. He knows you love him, Harper, without doing that.”
Harper wanted to scream. Her boy was out there unprotected, he could be hurt and these males. These reasonable males just made it impossible to yell at them and go and drag her boy home. Which is what she was wanting to do as she looked at Charlie she could see she agreed with them. Typical logical females, she turned to Frankie but she could see it written on her face she agreed as well. “Damn…damn it!” Harper stamped her foot. “I hate that you are right.”
“But you may go to help Ciana.” Reighn told her. “It is only right.”
“Well yeah, we could do that!” She scowled at Ace as she said “We will talk about this later.” Ace nodded as he looked at his little mate and sighed inwardly as his dragon scolded him. I told you this would happen our shadow does not take her responsibilities lightly.
Well, how was I to know?
I told you!
An hour later Reighn opened a portal for the two couples to traverse through and sort of felt sorry for the small town.
Just before they arrived Sparrow and her team flew hard to the camp there was no need for stealth as the town was oblivious to their presence. Minutes later the faeries flew a circle around the camp checking to make sure all was as it was when they had left. They landed and grew in seconds Sparrow was talking before she had tucked her wings away. “The warriors and King are in a jail surrounded as Lady Ciana said by iron and concrete we have very little time to release them. At eight o’clock tonight when it will apparently b
e dark they are to be released.”
“That is good they will come right here and we will not have to go into the town.” Phoebe smiled at Sparrow then started frowning as Sparrow shook her head. “No, it is a trap they have been sold by the judge who is also the mayor. The sheriff resigned he is I think a good man but not good enough to stop what is to happen. The sheriff now is a fat male that cut Tayne down, he wants King Thorn dead very badly he has been ordered to stay away from him but he will not.” Andre handed her a flask of water. She drank deeply then she said, “I think the females that have the babe set the king and his Warriors up. King Thorn and his males cannot remember why they could not take the babe with them when they left there.”
Another faerie said, “Because they are witches herb or hedge witches, they spelled the Elves.”
“Why?” Ciana asked. “They know she is not for them.”
“Yes, they do, but they do not wish to give her up they are enjoying having the moon baby.”
“Do they know what she is?” Andre` asked worried he would have to kill the witches.
“No, they only know she is helping them with their magic. Their spells are more powerful since she arrived. They are sure she is an Elf.”
“I am sure they do especially after seeing the males who came to claim her.” Ark agreed.
“She is mine. I will not allow them to use her.”
Ciana’s anger boiled under her skin it seemed she was easy to anger more than she had been before coming to Dragon’s Gap, she took a breath and blew it out. “Sorry.”
“Calm Ciana.” Andre soothed. “All will be well.”
Just then a portal opened near them and out stepped Ace, Storm, Harper and Charlie dressed for battle. Harper looked around for Clint whose face betrayed his dismay before he quickly wiped it clear.
With that one look she knew Reighn had been right, she nodded to him instead of doing what she wanted to do which was grab him and throw his sorry arse through the closing portal. Ace walked with her to Andre, he lent down and whispered. “He will thank you as I do for not calling him out on his decision.”
“Yeah …yeah.” She whispered back with a little glow of warmth at his praise. “Lord Andre` we have come to offer our help.” Ace told the older male who raised a mocking eyebrow and nodded letting his eyes travel over the four. He knew damn well why they were there but he said nothing.
“Welcome, Sparrow if you could fill them in please.” Which she proceeded to do, Ciana smirked at Ark who eyed Harper warily. “I did tell you.”
“You know people like you who are all ‘know it alls’ are annoying!” He murmured back which caused her to smile. When the group was all caught up. Storm asked. “What plan have you devised?”
Andre said. “Well, I can open a portal to the jail with Sparrow’s help and we can retrieve the King and his warriors.”
Ark nodded. “I was thinking I may go and talk to the ones who are arriving in their truck.”
“It is what seven o’clock now they can only be an hour out if they are not running early.” Ace told him.
Andre` said. “We need names and places please.”
Ark grinned. “We know my Lord, have no fear we are very good at this we will know everything they know.”
Storm looked at his friend. “Our Dragon Lord requested you discouraged this practice by example. If as Commander Sparrow says their sheriff is not up to the task then we will make it quite clear what our Lord and we feel about this.”
Ark acknowledged this with a nod of his head. Charlie said. “Do not forget to get the electronics before you get to the burning and destroying.” Which caused several smothered laughs and grins to appear. Ciana asked. “Who is going to see the Judge?”
Andre said. “I think if I may, Charlie, Storm and I will go visit that worthy male. Sparrow send your unit and see to the new sheriff, keep him company until the king arrives. I feel he will want to see him.” Sparrow nodded she thought he wanted to do more than see him.
“Ciana take Ace and Harper to visit the witches and get your baby back.”
Sparrow said. “You should be aware their warriors have sticks that render you shocked.”
“Cattle prods.” Harper told them. “Cowards!”
“Assholes!” Charlie said. “Okay, these sticks emit electricity, stay away from them, and break them when you see one. If they touch you with the end or top of the stick it will drop you to the ground and you will spasm or pass out.”
Harper pulled her phone out and hit number one. Sage answered, “Hey what’s up?”
“Some hedge witches have Ciana’s baby!” Harper told her. “From what we can gather they are using her to power their spells. They seemed to have spelled the Elves and had them arrested.”
“Incredible see that just pisses me off. Okay so I am guessing you are calling because you are going to remove their ability to cast?”
“Yes something like that.”
“Well okay you have my permission. I will have someone come and talk to them. Please do not kill them they are just misguided, not deadly.”
“Unless they made the poison?”
“Well yeah if they did that, then bad witches.”
Harper told her. “I will find out.”
Charlie added. “Let our people know these sheriffs were armed with cattle prods, so they should be careful.”
“Bastards, done, I will send the call out to our retrievers and Hunters. Thank you and good luck.” Harper closed her phone and shrugged. “Well okay that leaves us open to learn all we can.”
“Without killing them.” Charlie reminded her.
“I know …I heard!”
Phoebe sat and watched and listened to these well-organized powerful people her brother was going to attach her people too and wanted to dance a happy dance. She would be the normal one here not the outcast the strange Elf. Harper looked at her and grinned. “I cannot wait to see what you can do you just reek of untapped potential.”
“Reek is a bad word.” Ciana grimaced as though she smelled something bad, making Charlie grin.
“It’s as good as any.” Harper sniped back at the grinning female. Phoebe did not pretend she did not know what Harper was speaking of. “Usually, I am overflowing with ‘magics’ but as you can see the iron of this world has quenched my abilities. I would have like to have gone with you, although I see why I would be a hindrance...”
Ciana shrugged. “They don’t know that, do they? Come with us.”
“May I.”
Andre` nodded. “You may, although remember, somethings the heart wants, cannot be stopped, also somethings are not ours to explain.”
Phoebe looked at Andre` then Ciana and nodded. “That is true Lord Andre`.”
Ace and Ark shared a brotherly look as Ace told him. “We will keep her safe.”
“Thank you brother.” To Phoebe he grinned his devilish grin and said. “We will talk later.” She nodded as she replied. “Oh, I am sure we will.”
“Oh, it is like that, is it?” Harper said and her eyes opened wide as a sudden thought came to her. “Oh, Goddess does she know?”
“She does!” Stated Phoebe without looking at her Radiance. Ark grinned as he said. “It appears she does.”
There was a smattering of laughter even Ark and Phoebe grinned. Within minutes teams were grouped together planning their missions. And as Andre` made ready to locate and open a portal Ark and his Shields transformed to dragon and left to find the truck.
Sparrow, once she gave Andre` the co-ordinates to the sheriff’s department and the Judges office sent one of her warriors to the jail to let the Elf king know they would be there soon. Then she left with her unit to secure the new sheriff. Harper and Ace, Phoebe and Ciana waved goodbye to Charlie and Storm who would remain with Andre` to visit the judge after they had secured the Elves.
Harper transported them from the hill to just outside the witch’s home. They arrived in front of a blue house. “Oh wow! What was that?” Ciana almost
screeched with surprise and fear pounding in her heart. She was wrapped around Phoebe whose eyes held a gleam of a smile as she pried Ciana’s fingers from her arms. “Oh so sorry.”
Phoebe nodded. “All is well.”
“That is what we call faerie transportation.” Harper told the wild eyed Ciana. Phoebe gave her a small smile as she said. “It is a unique way of travel.”
“I suppose. I am sort of use to it.” Harper agreed nonchalantly as Ace just shook his head, “Next time it may serve to tell the people who are going with you, what you are doing.”
“Really that is what you think? You who let my boy leave without telling me?”
Ace sighed gently as he took her unresisting body in his arms. “He is not a boy, he is dragon male.”
“And your point would be?” She mumbled into his shirt.
“We are being observed.” Phoebe whispered.
“Yeah… yeah.” Harper waved her hand at her. “You listen shadow…”
“No my love, you listen. He is a dragon male almost coming into his fiftieth year...”
Harper’s yelp cut him off. “He is what now?”
Ace tried to hide his grin. Fifty.”
“Oh my Goddess he is older than me!”
“In human years yes, in dragons no.” He soothed her.
“Not helping.”
“And again I tell you we are being watched.” Phoebe stated louder this time.
“What?”
“Someone is watching us.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
S age strode through the portal a little annoyed at Reighn and still smarting from the disagreement they had about her coming here.
She knew he would eventually realize she was right this whole situation was not a delegate moment. He should have thought of that when the Elf warrior was brought back with poisoning. Never mind she would see to these witches and then return home with Ciana and the baby he could deal with the others.
It was amusing to see the varying degrees of surprise and amusement on the four faces turned towards her as she stepped from the portal.
“Hello.”