Adapt (A Touch of Power Book 2)

by Jay Boyce

  Eamonn gestured to the cage. "By all means, get your queens’ mates." She could tell he was more interested in the experiment than out of actual care for her queens, but it didn't matter. She wasn't going to leave her babies alone!

  She knelt down next to the cage, her fellacai fluttering around her. She called out to them, "Go bring your mates." They alighted on her hand as she opened the cage and stuck it in. None of the other fellacai were trying to escape, probably due to the queens' influence, since she hadn't even had to command them to stay put. Her little queens went off through the cage, and each came back with a pretty male fellacai. She pulled the ten adorable creatures out of the cage and closed it behind her hand, looking down at them with a giant smile. She pulled out her bottle of juice, pouring more in her hand as she silently commanded, "Drink. You'll be safe with me."

  The five new fellacai quickly went over to the juice, and she realized they probably weren't being fed a whole lot in the cage, given that they were supposed to be food for the other animals. She winced at that thought. The poor things. Besides, she needed to siphon them if possible. Still, the five new babies were drinking voraciously, and she poured them more until they seemed full. Sitting back on her hand, she smiled down at the little beasties and heard their voice in return. "We stay."

  And thus began Jade's butterfly army…

  Chapter Ten – Splutter

  The rest of the class passed by in companionable conversation as Eamonn introduced them to all of the main animals that people normally bonded with. He'd also had them look over a couple of basic contracts that were commonly used by most stores. He ended the class with homework. "Now, in the next week, I'd like all of you to do more research. There's a book called The Monster Compendium. It's available at the library, but I've also got two copies in my office that you can stop by and read there if that's easier. I'd like each of you to read and select one of the creatures to report on next week…you can read, can't you?" He was looking at the panicked look on Ian's face when he mentioned reading, and Ian blushed violently red. Jade had noticed him listening as the others absently read aloud but hadn’t connected the dots until Eamonn said something.

  Looking ashamed, he tugged on his ear as he looked at the ground and spoke softly, "Sorry, sir, I haven't learned yet. I've got a class to learn on Thursday and Saturday, but I don't think I'll be good enough to read it by next class…" His voice trailed off, and he looked like he wanted to hide under a rock.

  To Jade's surprise, Eamonn patted Ian on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "Buck up, lad, you'll learn soon enough. Just let me know when you have time and we'll go through the compendium together. It's no shame that you haven't learned yet. That's why you're here—to learn." She was surprised he was being so understanding, and then it seemed to dawn on her. Perhaps Eamonn had come from a more humble background as well, instead of being a born noble. He might seem a bit crazy at times, but that didn't mean there wasn't a lot of history to explain how he got that way.

  Eamonn dismissed them, and Jade paused, looking around at the cages of animals, and more specifically the cage of fellacai. Smiling at Eamonn, she queried, "Eamonn, do these animals stay in the cages all the time?"

  Eamonn looked at her curiously, then nodded. "Of course, until they're bonded. They're monsters, so they're too dangerous to have on the loose without being bonded." She frowned thoughtfully, sighing. It was as she'd expected. Seeing her discouragement, he added, "It helps them accept the bond. Their desire to be out of the cage makes them more pliable to being bonded to make that happen."

  She winced because she hadn't actually expected there to be a practical reason for it as well. In her old world, it would have been seen as animal cruelty. Here, she had to remind herself that they were considered monsters who would kill them at the first opportunity, as evidenced by the mauled Walter who was still in the corner with Randal. Still, she couldn't help but look down at the fellacai cage. "Can I take care of the fellacai at least? You don't normally have people bond to them, right? I know my queens can control them so they don't get away, but I'd like to let them fly around for a bit." She'd also have to absent herself when they were used to feed the other animals. Hopefully that was a rare occurrence.

  Eamonn was pondering her request, but he eventually nodded. "I suppose that should be fine, since you have the queens and their mates." He then looked to the corner with Randal and Walter, and she nodded, walking over with him. He asked Randal with worry, "Any change?"

  Randal glanced up, startled. It seemed he hadn't realized they'd come over. "Oh, no. He seems fine, still just sleeping." At that moment, they were interrupted by the rumble from Walter's stomach, and Jade grinned.

  "Sounds like he's about to wake up to me."

  They all laughed softly, and Eamonn instructed Randal, "I'd like you to get Miss Jade a key to the room. She'll be coming in to play with the fellacai, so she'll need access when we're not here." Jade glanced at Eamonn and realized his crinkly eyes were twinkling with mirth. Okay, so maybe she did want to play with them…but still! He didn't have to call her out on it! Besides, she wanted to see how her siphoning went and then siphon the rest of them. Magic resistance and flight were something she wasn't about to give up on easily! She glanced around at the other cages thoughtfully. Were there other useful skills she could get from the other animals? She'd be paying each of them a personal visit as soon as she got that key, it seemed.

  Randal looked curiously at Jade, noticed her trail of fellacai flitting about her, then nodded and grinned. "I'll grab a spare from my office and give it to her before dinner is over, so long as Walter wakes up soon."

  Jade stepped forward, putting a gentle hand on Walter's arm as she sent a healing surge through him to check for any remaining damage. He was still fine, showing that she was just being paranoid because he hadn't woken up. Thinking of what Mike did for her, she infused him with a tiny bit of energy, which clearly was enough for him to start waking up.

  His body moved slowly at first, seeming to test that things were okay. They were watching curiously when his eyes shot open and he screamed, clutching his chest. "Stop the iompro! Stop hiiiiim!" When he didn't see the bear creature but rather Randal, Eamonn, and Jade standing around him, he seemed to calm down, looking at his body with amazement. He asked incredulously, "I'm…okay?"

  Eamonn patted him on the head. "Yes, thanks to Miss Jade here. She healed you up quite nicely, so you should thank her for saving your life."

  Walter looked a little sheepish at that, turning his light green eyes on Jade. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry I was a little startled when I awoke."

  Jade smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad it all worked out. You were bleeding out pretty badly when I found you guys. Please try to be more careful in the future."

  Walter nodded, promising, "Of course. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, just please let me kn–she's being attacked by fellacai!" He was panicking and pointing to the fellacai that were flitting behind her head.

  The three of them laughed, which seemed to confuse him and reduce his panic. Jade held out her arm, mentally asking her pretties, "Please land." Walter watched in amazement as the fellacai gracefully landed on her outstretched arm, and she said kindly, "I bonded with them. They aren't going to harm anyone." Comprehension dawned on his face, and he gulped, nodding. Jade started to let her arm drop, and the fellacai flew nimbly back into the air as she mentally spoke again. "We're leaving soon, so you'll need to land on my braid again before we leave the room."

  She accompanied her words with a mental picture and heard the fellacai respond, "Leave! Hair. Okay." She grinned. It was only one to two more words, but it seemed like it was getting easier to speak to them. She couldn't wait to have the smartest, most beautiful butterfly army in the world! She pondered for a moment, wondering if their children would automatically be bonded to her as well, like if they were dungeon born. She guessed she'd find out eventually and absently wondered if t
here were any moving mushrooms or horned rabbits in this world. She didn't see any in here, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. She'd have to look through The Monster Compendium quite thoroughly. She'd had it this whole time but hadn't yet had a chance to read it. It was time to remedy that.

  Looking up, she realized she had spaced out and missed a bunch of conversation again. Eamonn glanced back at her and grinned. "Ah, you're back with us again. We're heading to dinner. Would you like to join us?"

  Jade smiled, nodding. "Sure, I'm happy to walk down with you, but I think I'm probably going to end up sitting with the royals. I have a few things to discuss with them."

  Randal and Walter both looked extremely curious, while Eamonn simply seemed to accept her words. "That is fine. Shall we go?" He offered her his wrinkled arm and she adroitly took it with a smile. She was getting better at this stuff! They left the room, the fellacai coming down to rest on her braid much to Eamonn's amusement. They waited for Randal to lock the door behind them, then left the Magnus Crafting Center. They'd lingered long enough that most of the students had already long since left for dinner or home.

  Walking to the cafeteria, they directly entered the first floor area, as it seemed they were bringing Walter with them so they could oversee that he ate properly. She noticed people giving them strange looks and wide berths, then realized most of the looks were directed at the fellacai in her hair. This might be a problem if people started avoiding her because of them. She'd have to limit how many she had with her at any one time, apparently. Maybe she'd decide based on which one matched her outfit of the day or what classes she had. That was probably a good idea. If she had a class with any of their elements, she'd bring that one for the day. Perhaps she'd try to keep the mated pairs together as well, though if they weren't staying with her, they'd have plenty of alone time.

  She chuckled softly to herself, and the others sent her quizzical glances. She explained cheerfully, "Oh, I was just thinking about the dating life of my fellacai. It struck me as humorous that I was thinking that I needed to make sure they had enough time together when I've no idea what a real relationship entails."

  Randal grinned. "Best be careful there, else you'll be overrun." Jade nodded, still grinning.

  They were greeted by Estelle when it was finally their turn at the counter, and she looked between Eamonn, Randal, her, and Walter. Cheerily, she greeted them. "Count Finn, Baronet Rosen, Lady Jade. What can I get for you this evening?" The boy Walter was not included in her greetings, and it was obvious what the pecking order was. Eamonn and Randal both ordered cheerily, and Jade nudged Walter to go next. With a slight stammer, he ordered the same thing Randal had gotten.

  Jade cut in at this point. "Walter, you need more to eat than that, and you need red meat. Estelle, please give him two steak plates as well."

  Estelle raised her brows at Jade. "Someone else with your voracious appetite?"

  She shook her head. "Only temporarily. I did a massive healing on him earlier, so he needs to replenish blood and energy."

  Estelle nodded, as it was quite normal that people were extremely hungry after a healing. "It looks like you did a good job on him, I didn't even realize."

  Jade beamed at her, happy with the compliment. "Thank you! Now, what would you suggest for me? I'd like five plates of whatever you think is best and gives me a variety. Oh, and I'll need a lot of juice and an extra empty plate, if you can manage that."

  Laughing, Estelle tapped the side of her nose. "You're a smart one. Alright, I'll have everything brought out to you."

  "Thank you, Estelle!" Jade spoke cheerily, and the others belatedly echoed. Estelle was grinning now too, obviously in a good mood as she shooed them away so she could help those behind them. They glanced around, and the three of them started making their way to an empty table as Jade spotted her royal friends. "I'll see you guys later!"

  They nodded and Randal promised, "I'll grab you that key after we've eaten."

  Jade nodded and they split ways. Walking over to the table with Victor, Camille, and Will, she took note of their dining companions. One looked to be a very sturdy gentleman, but from the slight rock dust she could sense on his clothes, she figured he was probably the stonecrafting teacher, since they'd said they were going to that class. The other looked to be a tall, willowy man, and she figured he was probably Will's tutor. She glanced around, catching Stephen's eye, who was sitting at the next table. With her head, she jerked her head in the 'come here' motion, then smiled and sat next to Victor, earning a glare from the tutor guy.

  "Hey guys!" she greeted them cheerfully.

  They were about to respond when the tutor interrupted haughtily, "The correct address is your royal highnesses, and what on earth do you think you're doing at this table? You should be sitting with your sponsor." He was looking at her like she was dirt, and Jade sighed. Obviously, not all nobility were nice, as she was finally learning. She'd been spoiled by the ones she'd met to this point being so chill with her until today. It seemed like her luck had turned because this was the third time she'd been challenged since this morning.

  It was Camille who looked at the tutor and said bitingly, "Jade is our friend, and you can excuse yourself from the table. In the future, please remember to understand the situation before you shoot your mouth off."

  He looked aghast at her harsh reprimand and sputtered, "B-but I was just…"

  Victor cut in, his normally calm and unruffled demeanor cracking for a moment, "Acting high and mighty towards Lady Jade, the new traveler. As Camille said, please excuse yourself." The tutor got to his feet, pale and obviously shaken that two of his pupils, who were normally very gentle and polite to him, had turned on him so quickly. He bowed quickly to them before grabbing his food and scurrying off. Soon after he left, Stephen and Eric slipped into his spot and the seat next to it, looking curiously at Jade. This action caused the royals to realize something else was going on, and they turned their eyes to Jade as well. It was Victor's turn to splutter as he realized he was right next to ten fellacai, and he spluttered, "Why do you have fellacai in your hair?"

  Jade grinned, reaching up and holding a finger to the closest butterfly, which was her golden queen. She jumped onto the proffered finger obediently as Jade put her elbow on the table, admiring her beauty as she said contentedly, "I bonded with them this afternoon. Aren't they beautiful?"

  Camille spoke tentatively, "Yes, they're very pretty. You say you bonded with them? They're safe?" There was the tiniest edge of fear to her voice, and Jade wondered just how dangerous her little queens were in the wild.

  She nodded, smiling. "Completely safe."

  Stephen cut in at this point. "I assume you didn't ask us to join you because of them, however. What's going on?"

  Jade's smile dimmed a bit, and she gently put the fellacai back on her hair. "Oh, right." She looked at Victor, Camille, and Will in turn, then said with a sigh, "I met your cousin this afternoon, as well. He tried to kill me."

  The clatter of silverware hit the table as both Victor and Will dropped what they'd been holding. Camille, Eric, and Stephen hadn't been holding anything and thus had nothing to drop. All of them were staring at her.

  Nothing like a good statement to shock and awe those around her.

  Chapter Eleven – Names

  The silence at their table was palpable and tense. Absently, she reached over, grabbing a carrot from Victor's plate to munch on while she waited for her food to arrive. She was just waiting for them to snap out of the stupor they all seemed to be in, and she absently noted the the stonecrafter was still with them. She'd sort of forgotten that he was there, but he seemed just as flabbergasted as everyone else. Stephen was the first to recover as he said quietly, "Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning."

  Jade smiled, shrugging. "There's not much to it. He made fun of me wearing a cloak to a fire class while we were waiting in the hallway. I was the last one in, and the only open seat was right in front of him, which didn't seem supe
r awesome or safe to me. I figured he might try something, so I created wind walls around myself. When he tried to light me on fire, it rebounded on him and burned him pretty good, since the wind fed it. He was calling for a healer, the teacher asked me to do it, I explained the situation and said no, at which point he starting calling me some unflattering names and threatening to have me killed. I told him I was a traveler. He went insane and started attacking me with his sword, making his injuries worse. I just blocked him with my wind walls until I was tired of waiting, then suffocated him until he passed out and healed him, then left."

  Her words were so matter of fact, like it was nothing and she'd just shrugged it off. When Estelle and her little helper brought her food over to the now silent table, setting it down in front of Jade, she glanced around curiously. "Everything alright here?"

  Jade smiled at her. "We're fine. I just told them a story that they're processing. Thank you for the food. It looks delicious!"

  Estelle nodded, grinning at her before casting an odd glance at the rest of the table before she retreated. Jade quickly took the empty plate and some of the juice, pouring it onto the plate. Several of the people at the table jumped as her little fellacai came to life, winging down to land on the plate and sip at the juice. She smiled, then started eating as well, waiting for them to figure out what to say. Victor was staring at his plate with a haunted look, while Camille was absently pushing her food around on her plate. Will was holding onto the table with a white knuckled grip. The stonecrafter looked like he wanted to be anywhere but at their table and he was wolfing down his food, she assumed in an attempt to say he was done and leave. Eric and Stephen were the anomalies. Stephen almost looked a little proud of her, while Eric looked to be doing mental calculations.