Galen nodded. “True, but he will be well guarded, and while he is well guarded, he will be conjuring dark arts.”
“What must be done?” asked Captain Nash.
“Despite your mistrust of magic, the naming of four new Savitars is compulsory to success. Only they will have the power to reach and summon the counter.”
The Mage stood up to walk behind the seated guests. “It will not be easy.” He put his hands on Rogan’s shoulders. “It will take a master fireshifter to light the way.” He moved to Airron. “It will take a bodyshifter of many forms to locate the trail.” He touched Beck. “It will take a mighty earthshifter with the strength to carry the day.” Galen stood behind Kiernan. “And it will take Princess Kiernan Everard, and only Princess Kiernan.”
Kiernan turned to look up at him. “Why me?”
“Because of your connection with Bajan. The power we seek is in Callyn-Rhe, home of the Draca Cats.”
She tilted her head in question. “But, how do we find the city? I had always been told that it is impossible for humans to find.”
Galen shook his head. “Not impossible. Each of you should be in possession of a pendant. These four pendants when joined create a map to the shrouded Callyn-Rhe. There is where you will find the weapon to counter Ravener’s plans.”
The King, who had been quiet throughout Galen’s dire assertions, walked over to him now with barely controlled fury. “How long have you been making these plans, Mage? How long have you known that you would be using my daughter to wage war?”
Galen’s blue eyes were filled with regret. “I have known for many years that this day would come, Max.”
Her father’s fists clenched at his sides. “You did not find it necessary to share this information with me? With the other lands?” he asked in disbelief. “Maybe your way is not the only answer, Mage. If you will recall, it did not turn out very well the last time the people of this island entrusted their welfare to you!” Galen did not flinch, but Kiernan could see the sorrow in his face. The King went on mercilessly. “Hundreds of thousands of people perished, Galen! I would not like to see a repeat of the Mage War. There has to be another way!”
Galen reached out to put his hand on her father’s shoulder. “There is no other way, Max. I wish there was.” He looked directly into his old friend’s eyes. “She is pureblood.”
The tension stretched between them as everyone in the room watched the silent battle that waged between the Mage and the King as they glared at each other for several long moments. At last, Maximus shrugged Galen’s hand brusquely off his shoulder and turned toward Kiernan, taking her hands in his. “What say you, daughter?”
She did not hesitate. “I must do as Galen requests, father. I am the only one who can communicate with the Draca Cats through Bajan.” She did not bother to remind him of her blood oath. He would not understand. Still, she knew her father was hoping to hear her rail against this unconscionable task being requested of her. To denounce Galen Starr and his enigmatic and turgid claims. But, she did none of those things and thus unwittingly handed the victory of this evening to Galen Starr.
The King was silent as he contemplated and paced in front of the War Council. Then, he stopped in front of Beck, Rogan, and Airron, silently measuring their competency. “Will you also travel to Callyn-Rhe with my daughter?”
The three shifters stood as one. “We will.”
He turned to Bajan, sitting passively on his haunches at her side. “Will you travel to your homeland with the Princess and protect her? Lie down your life for her if you must?”
Bajan nodded.
“And so it is! As the shifters have agreed to do their part in defeating the bastard Mage, so do I pledge to rout the Cyman Army. We march in one week for Starfell!”
Kiernan scraped back her chair. “Father, you must wait for the armies of the Dwarves and Elves,” she implored. “There must be over fifty thousand soldiers in the Cyman Army!”
The King scoffed. “We have already discussed this. The Iserlohn Army and the Scarlet Sabers can handle these interlopers, daughter. We may be outnumbered, but we have advantages that the Cyman Army does not such as maneuverability, knowledge of the terrain, and the best battle strategists in the land.”
Airron stepped forward. “But, Your Grace, with assistance from the Elven Gladewatchers….”
“Do not forget the Dwarven Iron Fists!” interrupted Rogan.
The King nodded. “Yes, yes, both units would be very formidable allies and if they arrive at Starfell, I will be grateful for their aid. But, we cannot wait. Ravener has demanded a response by Earthshine, which is six weeks away. It will take at least a week to outfit the army with the provisions and weaponry needed, and another five weeks to march to Starfell.”
Lady Knapp spoke up. “House Knapp supports King Maximus! The Shadow Panthers march to Starfell!”
Lord Etin nodded his head. “I care not one whit for where the shifters go, but you have my support as well, Your Grace. The Eagles of House Etin fly for Starfell!”
One by one, the Royal Court voiced their backing by committing their forces to the engagement.
“House Winslow’s Couching Wolves with the King!”
“The Red Dragons of House Hamilton to Starfell!”
“The Thundering Bulls of House Paxton charge to the Valley of Flame!”
“House Conry’s Savage Badgers will not be denied!”
The King unsheathed the sword from his scabbard and lifted it high into the air. “It is decided! But, if it is surrender that Ravener is looking for, he will be sorely disappointed! There will be no surrender! He will only find the sharp points of Iserlohn’s swords!”
Iserlohn was at war.
While King Maximus was making his declaration of war, Rory Greeley slipped out and past the nervous servants milling around the closed doors of Grace Hall and made his way in search of the holding cells. Fortunately, most people seemed to forget he was around which left him ample opportunity for covert exploits.
He had to ask several servants for directions along the way, but finally found the correct location. Two brawny guardsmen in the black uniform of the Iserlohn Army stood in front of a set of iron doors that Rory was told led down to the underground cells. He walked purposely toward them, and the guards watched him come with suspicious eyes.
These were soldiers who knew their duty and took no chances, thought Rory. He was certain that they would not let him through to the cells if he simply made the request, so he tried another tactic. He smiled at them disarmingly and said, “Pardon. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the guest chambers. I have only just arrived with the Princess and the palace is so large that I must confess with some embarrassment that I cannot remember the way to my room.”
One of the guards pointed down a carpeted corridor that led, Rory knew, to the guest chambers.
He fixed a confused look on his face and scratched his head. “Are you sure? I have already been down that way, sir, and could not find them.”
The guards exchanged glances and then one nodded, probably the senior of the two. “Stay at your post, Vance. I will show him the way.”
Rory thanked them both and followed behind the guard, risking a glance back over his shoulder before they turned the first corner to confirm that Vance was still in position and looking forward again. When the burly guard leading him turned to provide further directions, he struck. Small as he was, Rory was skilled in combat and knew how to immobilize a larger opponent. The unsuspecting soldier did not have a chance. A well-placed blow to the side of his temple dropped him like a stone. Eyes darting quickly up and down the corridor, Rory quickly lifted the man under the arms and dragged him to the first door he saw.
Luck was with him. A quick look inside revealed a short set of stairs that led down to what appeared to be a dusty wine cellar. With all of his strength, Rory yanked the unconscious man inside the door and then let him tumble down the stairs to the bottom. He followed do
wn cautiously in the event the cellar was occupied. It was empty.
He dragged the guard to a darkened corner, unsheathed his knife and drew it across the unconscious man’s throat. It was a ruthless, coldblooded murder.
As soon as the man was dead, Rory did the unthinkable—what no bodyshifter in Pyraan would ever consider. He placed his hands upon the dead body and assimilated the man’s form. The air around the two figures shimmered as Rory’s smaller figure shifted into the guard’s likeness. He spent a few seconds orienting himself to the guard’s height and bulk, and then bent down to strip the uniform off the shrunken corpse. He donned it quickly and then shoved the body further into the shadows of the room. There were bloodstains on the floor where he cut the man’s throat, but that could not be helped.
Rory staggered up the stairs in his new body and headed back down the hall toward Vance and the cell doors. Smoothing his uniform, he approached the other guard. “Open it up,” he said, gesturing to the door with his head.
“What are you doing, Penske?”
“I just ran into Captain Nash. The prisoner is to be readied for interrogation immediately. King’s orders.”
Vance shrugged and unlocked the door. “Need help?”
“No, stay here. This won’t take long.”
Kiernan threw open the balcony doors of her bedroom chambers and stepped out onto the cold mosaic tile with bare feet. Leaning against the stone balustrade, she breathed in deeply of the night air hoping to dispel some of the unease that enveloped her like a cloak. War loomed and the greatest chance of victory Massa had depended on whether she and the other shifters successfully penetrated Callyn-Rhe and uncovered her secrets. The Mage was holding something back from them, she was sure of it. But, what?
Restless, she turned and walked back into her room.
Bajan was curled before the fireplace impassively grooming himself. She glared at him.
Well?
Well what?
Massa will soon be at war.
Yes, I heard. Lick, lick.
We are going to your homeland of Callyn-Rhe.
Yes. Lick
Bajan! I need your help here! I have so many questions.
I am not surprised. Lick.
The first of which is what kind of power do you think is hidden at Callyn-Rhe?
I cannot be sure. I have never been there.
Do you think we will be able to find it?
We must. Lick, lick.
I wonder what Galen meant by me being a pureblood?
There was a knock on the door.
She answered it to find her childhood girlfriend. “Larkin! Come in.” Finally, someone I can talk to! she sneered in Bajan’s direction. He did not so much as look at her as he continued his cleaning.
Larkin hugged Kiernan, greeted Bajan, and then went into the room to sit on the bed with a bounce. “I have really missed you!” she complained, throwing herself back to lie on the bed. “It has been absolutely boring around here since you left.”
Kiernan smiled and sat by her on the bed. “You, bored? Never.”
The dark-haired beauty turned on her side to look at Kiernan conspiratorially. “Tell me all about your handsome earthshifter. Every detail, mind you!” she demanded.
Kiernan’s cheeks heated and she rose from the bed. For some reason, she no longer wanted to discuss her relationship with Beck. It was too special, too personal, and all hers. “We are not little girls anymore, Larkin, sharing every secret.”
Larkin sat up, her smile vanishing. “Truth be told, we really did not share all of our secrets back then either, did we?” Larkin looked in her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kiernan did not have to ask what she was talking about. She shrugged. “Scared, I guess. I knew that if I was found out, I would be sent to Pyraan, so I kept it to myself for many years.”
Larkin grabbed her hands and faced her. “I was your best friend, Kiernan. I never would have betrayed your secret.”
“I know. I am sorry.”
Apparently, satisfied with the apology, Larkin changed the subject. “What is the matter with that friend of yours, Rory? He acts very strangely, Kiernan, and gives me the creeps.”
Kiernan laughed. “You could not tell from where I have been watching! You have been cornering the man every chance you get.”
“Only to get answers,” she sniffed. “He slinks around all the time, poking his nose in places it does not belong.”
There was another knock at the door. It was Beck, Rogan, and Airron, and Kiernan opened the door wide in invitation to them. She looked out in the hall in both directions after they entered. “Isn’t Rory with you?”
Airron shrugged. “No. He wasn’t in his room.”
Kiernan shut the door and Beck leaned in to give her a small kiss on her lips that sent a jolt through her body. She desperately wanted to hug him close to her and inhale the scent of his body. There, burrowed within the crook of his arm was safety. Out here, danger and anxiety. Pulling back to look at her, his blue eyes were full of the intimate knowledge he now possessed. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Stop it!” she hissed, her cheeks warming.
Beck laughed aloud and the innocence of the sound helped to soothe her frazzled nerves more than anything else could have. Suddenly playful, she turned to Airron. “I thought you were going to meet with Lady Knapp?”
Taking a seat next to Larkin, Airron bounced on the bed causing the young girl to squeal. “It appears as though the Lady has more important matters to deal with. Pronouncements of war will do that.”
Rogan shook his head. “Has everybody gone mad? I don’t know what is in the air around here, but we have important matters to deal with as well.” He looked at Larkin. “If you will excuse us?”
Larkin resignedly made her departure amid hugs and a promise to see Kiernan again before she left Nysa. As soon as the door shut behind her, Rogan wasted no time. “Airron was right. The pendants that he and Beck have in their possession do have a connection. Now, Kiernan and I have to locate ours. Kiernan, any idea as to where yours might be?”
She shook her head and sat on a chair to put her sandals back on. “None, but I will ask my father this evening to see what he knows.”
Rogan looked worried. “I wish I knew where to search for mine. I suppose I will start with the family home in Deepstone. I must find the pendant or we will not have a complete map.”
“We should also go see Titus to let him know what has happened,” said Beck. “I want to assure him that we will be back for him once this is over. Let’s go.”
Beck and Airron walked out the door, and Kiernan laced her arm through Rogan’s in comfortable companionship as they followed behind. “Do not worry so, Rogan, you will find your pendant,” she assured him. “Just think! You will finally get a chance to visit the homeland you have not seen in years.”
His brown eyes brightened slightly. “I just hope I get the same warm welcome that you did.”
It was a warm welcome, Kiernan admitted to herself, but it was getting colder by the moment.
Unmoving, Titus watched from his cot as the guard turned a key in the lock on the door to his cell.
He knew it was not a good plan to come here into the city, but he had very little say in the matter. He was a hostage after all. As accommodating as the shifters had been to him, he was still a prisoner of war, a war initiated by his people.
He had grown fond of this travel companions, and had begun to hold out hope that everything would turn out well for all of them. That the people of Massa would destroy Adrian and Avalon, and the Cyman people would be free.
Titus snorted. Am I really that naïve?
All of that brief hope disappeared in an instant when the guard entered his cell. The only way he could describe the look in the man’s eyes was dead. This was a dead man walking and it was terrifying. He had seen the look many times before.
He bolted up out of his cot.
The air shimmered and the big guard shifted in
to Avalon Ravener.
“Hello, Titus,” she said in a falsely sweet voice. The sound of his oppressor’s voice sent his heart racing in his chest. He instinctively glanced around for a way to escape, but quickly realized there was nowhere to run. There never had been, despite the charade of the past few days and his burgeoning friendship with the shifters.
She slithered over to him and put a hand on his face. “Oh, Titus, it is such a shame that you were taken. I really was looking forward to enjoying more time with you.” She reached down between his legs and squeezed, twisting cruelly and causing him to cry out in pain.
“Please, Mistress,” he grunted.
She let go and he fell to his knees with his hands pressed to his groin.
She bent down and pressed her lips close to his ear. “You do understand, Titus, that I cannot leave you alive in the hands of the enemy?”
He swallowed hard. “Please Mistress, do not ‘urt me.”
Her whisper was callous and cold. “I have no choice.”
He could not help himself. He began to sob, and she looked down at him in disgust. She abhorred weakness.
His mind reeled furiously, rummaging for any possible chance at survival. Finally, hating himself, he said, “I could still be of value to you, Mistress. I could get information to you about the Massans’ plans.”
Avalon scoffed. “I already have all of the information I need, Titus. I have been privy to all sorts of interesting intelligence.” The air shimmered again and Avalon shifted smoothly into Rory Greeley.
Titus was stunned.
“If you know what they are about, why ‘ave you not killed them?” he asked, tears falling from his eye.
“Oh, I plan to kill them, lover. Just as soon as I get all four pendants and the map that leads to this ancient power Galen was yammering about.” She waved her hand dismissively in the air between them. “You were not around for that little disclosure by Galen Starr.”
He grabbed at Avalon’s hand in Rory’s form. “Please, I do not want to die! I will do anythin’ you ask!”
For a fleeting moment, Titus thought he saw a shed of decency in Avalon’s eyes. She exhaled noisily and moved close to him to cradle his head to her chest. “Oh, Titus.”
Island Shifters: Book 01 - An Oath of the Blood Page 17