We turned to the grey haired man standing in the doorway.
“The Queen wishes to hold an assembly to discuss the matter of the humans further.”
Jasper nodded. “When?”
“Tomorrow morning. We are to meet in the great hall.”
“Tell her we’ll be there.”
The man nodded and walked away.
I put my arm around Jasper’s waist. “Maybe this isn’t going to be a waste of a trip after all.”
The only reply I got was a grunt.
*****
The following morning we all met in the great hall. It was packed.
“These are all the most experienced and high ranking of the Namael guard that happen to be here today.” Jasper was pointing out some of the men he thought we would need to impress to get a vote in our favor.
“See the jaguar between the two tigers?”
I nodded.
“That’s Troy of Bliar. He has the biggest pack. The last time I ran into him he was up to two hundred men.”
“How many did you have?”
“I had seventy-two as of a couple of months before I found you.”
“What do you think happened to them?”
“My guess is that they treated my pack as if I had been killed. Matthew would have gotten a third of them, Kendall a third, and Cole the other third. We were the second shift, our four packs. Since my men were used to working with theirs, they would have the option of staying under the new captain, or moving to one of the other packs on our shift.” He pointed to a dark haired man with light blue eyes. “That’s Taylor. He was next in line to run my pack.”
I noticed how Taylor kept glancing at Jasper and glaring. “He doesn’t seem to like you.”
Jasper grinned. “I’ll have to ask Matthew, but I’m fairly sure it would be because none of my men stayed to join his pack. Taylor is as by the book as they come. The second shift is sort of the outcast shift. We’re patrollers for the most part. We’re also the special operations men. Melana uses us for the missions that require a bit more finesse. It helps to be able to think for yourself when you’re split into pairs or small groups and your commanding officer is two days travel away. Matthew, Cole, Kendall and I give our men permission to change plans on the fly. They are used to a bit of freedom. Taylor gives orders and expects them to be followed whether it gets his men killed or not. Anyway, the general consensus in the second shift packs is that if one of the captains were to be killed, that pack would split into three and join the others. Taylor would have to supply his own men.”
“Why would he want your men so badly?”
“Taylor has big ambitions to become Melana’s head general. The second shift has a great track record for most missions completed with least amount of casualties. It’s a great way to get promoted quickly.”
“So why aren’t you a general yet?” I glanced up at him and smiled. I was pretty sure I knew the answer.
“Oh, the position has been offered to me; as well as to Matthew, Cole and Kendall. None of us want the responsibility or the hassle. I’d rather be out there doing something as opposed to sitting around discussing strategies.”
“Do you miss it?” It was hard to ignore the passion in his voice as he explained what he had done before meeting me.
“Shlova, I have my hands full keeping you out of trouble.” He grinned at me. “I don’t have time to miss it.” He laughed as I stuck my tongue out at him.
Everyone stood as Melana walked in and sat at the wave of her hand. She addressed the whole room.
“We are here to discuss the possibility that humans have been infiltrating our army. If that is the case, we may have to face the fact that forging an alliance with the Majs may be beneficial, though it is my personal opinion that dogs cannot be trusted.”
A murmur rose through the crowd and everyone looked at the person standing next to him. I gazed around at the Namael guard. Some of them were shifted and others weren’t.
I noticed the female jaguar that followed Melana watching us intently. She caught me looking at her and met my gaze. I suddenly realized that I knew her and I tensed, hoping I was wrong about what was about to happen.
Melana kept addressing the hall. “What I think we need to do is listen to Jasper and Hayden. We will hear their arguments, evidence and reasoning. Once they are done, we will hold a vote.”
I saw the jaguar tense and she leapt at me, mouth open, aiming for my throat. I dropped and rolled under the table. I came up on the other side with my dagger ready, mentally shaking my head at myself for leaving my swords in our room.
I saw Jasper ready himself to attack her and I put my hand up to stop him.
Angry eyes flashed to him and back to me.
I looked around quickly and noticed that most people were too shocked to move. Melana was standing alone, unprotected.
“Jasper, the queen.” I spoke quietly.
“Luke, Kacey, Alex, Zane. Cover Melana. No one and I mean no one, gets near her.”
The four of them shifted and stood around her.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered if Melana found it ironic that after everything she had just said about the Majs, she was being protected by a wolf and a coyote.
Mel, Dawn, Tyler and Trent shifted as well, all of them ready to do what was needed.
I did what I realized I should have done the instant we had walked into the room. I pushed my magic toward the jaguar and her lack of aura confirmed what I already knew. She circled around me, her tail twitching.
“I should have recognized the eyes,” I told her. “You don’t have to do this, Sonia. You haven’t done anything wrong yet.”
Sonia shifted and spit at me. “It’s your fault.” She reached down and pulled her dagger out.
“I tried to make him go home. I want him to be alive just as much as you do.”
She shook her head. She held the dagger loosely in her hand. “It’s your fault. You didn’t love him like I did. You have no idea how I feel.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “But you will.” Sonia pivoted on the balls of her feet and threw her dagger at Jasper.
Jasper had seen her tense and jumped toward her to stop an attack on me. The dagger, which had been aimed at his chest, missed its mark and slipped across his bicep instead.
I threw myself at Sonia and drove my shoulder into her midsection. My momentum sent us crashing over the table. All I could see was red. I swung my arm down and heard a loud crunch as the hilt of my dagger connected with her temple. She jerked under me. I brought my arm up again only to have it grabbed from behind.
“Hayden.”
Jasper’s voice stopped me. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When I opened them again, not a soul was moving. Jasper dropped my arm and I looked down.
“Oh, god.” My voice caught in my throat.
Jasper pulled me up and turned me away.
“I…oh, god…I just hit her. I didn’t throw anything at her!” My stomach heaved and everything I had eaten that morning came up. All I could see was the scorched side of Sonia’s face, the epicenter of the burn where my dagger had hit her. I had no idea what I had just done, but I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about her going after Jasper ever again.
“Her stone.” I wiped my arm across my mouth and stood. “Find her stone. They have to see.”
Jasper searched her pockets and found the shifting stone. My throat tightened at the sight of it.
“That was Brice’s stone.”
Jasper held the stone up for everyone to see. “When Braw separates a Namael or a Maj, he can catch the animal in a stone.” His voice projected over the hall. “The humans have been using these to infiltrate our keeps, to spy, to gain information.” He turned to Melana. “We need to stop them before they use what they know of us.” His blue eyes were narrowed, daring anyone to try and contradict what he was saying. “They want Hayden because she can project powers, can channel them through herself. Braw wants to use her to project
the power of his staff. If this happens he will wipe us all out. This is no longer a war between the Namaels and the Majs. If we are to survive, we will have to forge an alliance with Damian and turn this into a war between shifters of all kinds and the humans.”
“And you’re sure it’s the stone that lets them shift?” A familiar face was making its way toward us. Matthew smiled at me and kissed me on the cheek. “Hello, Hayden.”
I nodded to him and gave him a hug. “Do you doubt me?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Never. But I have a feeling a few of the others might. Can you show them?”
I was reaching for the stone when someone in the back of the crowd spoke up. “How do we know she can’t shift already?”
Jasper felt my annoyance and put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s right, you know. They don’t know you can’t. With everything you can do, it wouldn’t be a big shock if you could.” He looked around and smiled. “Leslie.”
Her violet eyes widened.
He looked over the crowd. “Does everyone agree that Fairends can’t shift?”
He was answered by murmured yeses and nods.
She came to stand by us. “What do I do?” She was shaking like a leaf. Not only was she in a keep, surrounded by people, she was now the center of all their attention.
Jasper handed her the stone.
“Brice said you just had to think about the animal.”
Leslie closed her eyes and her form wavered. Her eyes flew open and everyone heard her gasp.
Behind us, I heard a low growl. Jasper looked back and nodded.
Alex shifted back and strode over to Leslie. He held her to his chest and made reassuring noises while he rubbed her back. Her shaking lessened. She looked at him and he kissed her softly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.
He stepped away from her.
Leslie took one more deep breath; her brows knitted together, her strange eyes staring toward the group of watchers.
There were a few gasps as her form wavered and her violet eyes turned into jaguar eyes. She stood on all fours, her tail twitching, her fur standing on end.
Alex knelt beside her and put a hand on her head. He continued to whisper things that were meant only for her.
“Thank you, Leslie.” Jasper’s voice was soft.
She shifted back and Alex pulled her into his lap. “Good job, love. You did good.” He looked up at Jasper. “I have to get her out of here.”
Jasper nodded and took the stone from him. “I’ll send for you if needed. Stay with her.”
Alex stood with Leslie cradled in his arms. Everyone moved to let them exit the room.
“Well, aren’t those handy little things, then,” murmured Matthew. He looked at Jasper. “I imagine whoever is using these doesn’t bear a shifter’s mark.”
Jasper shook his head.
“By the moons, it will take forever to check everybody.”
I stood between the two of them. “There are sixteen.” I kept my voice quiet so that only the two of them could hear.
Matthew glanced down at me. “How?”
“Auras.”
“Right. The dragons.”
Jasper put a hand on my shoulder and addressed the crowd. “When Hayden points you out, step to the front. Be aware you have done nothing wrong at this point. You will be questioned here, together. When we are done, you will hand over your stones and you will be released outside the keep.”
I pointed out the sixteen humans and all of them came to stand before us. I was happy not to recognize any of them. They looked amongst each other and a shiver ran up my back. It seemed that surrender wasn’t a part of the human army vocabulary. They shifted as one. Jasper and Matthew both pushed me back before shifting.
All hell broke loose.
Two smaller grey wolves came to stand in front of me. I looked around and found myself surrounded by dogs. Mel growled low in her throat as a tiger made it past the main fight and came toward us. Tyler and Trent were snarling, foam forming at their mouths. The tiger leapt and Mel launched herself at it. She managed to knock it off balance and it fell to its side when it landed. Dawn lunged for its throat.
The tiger stood and swiped at her with a huge paw. It connected and her yelp seemed to echo over the rest of the fighting.
An unearthly roar shook the room. The tiger’s eyes widened and it stood frozen as death came to it in the form of a panther.
I heard snarls from behind us and I looked back in time to see Luke and Kacey taking on a leopard. Kacey circled around to the back. He lunged in and snapped his jaws shut on the cat’s hind leg. The leopard turned back to fight him off. Luke took the opportunity to lock his jaws on the back of its neck. It reared its head up to shake him off and Kacey clamped onto its exposed throat. He bit down as hard as he could and pulled with jerky shakes of his head until the blood was flowing freely.
“Hayden!” Zane’s voice was filled with anguish.
I looked around wildly until I spotted him.
His black eyes were locked on Dawn’s pale face. Her eyes were closed but I could see that she was breathing. Suddenly, her face twisted with pain.
“Hayden!”
I ran to them and knelt beside Dawn. One quick glance at her was enough to confirm what the problem was.
“Let’s get her to your room!” I looked at the scene across the hall and was relieved to see that the fighting was over. “Jasper!”
He was at our side in an instant. I noticed he had blood running down his arm, courtesy of some scratches that had been added to the dagger cut.
“We have to get her out of here. She’s having the babies.”
His eyes widened. “But she still has a month to go!”
“She got hit.”
Tara brought over a glass of water and offered it to Dawn.
I looked up to Melana who had come to see what was wrong.
“I hope this might help change your mind. The humans are more of a threat than you think.” I glared at her. “You can clean up the mess, I have to make sure my nieces or nephews make it into this world alive and well.” I stood and our whole group followed suit.
Zane had Dawn cradled in his arms. Tears rolled down his face. She moaned and he kissed her hair. “Shush, sweets. I’m here. Hayden is here.”
We quickly made our way out of the hall and to their room.
Jasper pulled all of the covers off the bed and Zane lay Dawn down gently.
“Luke, we’ll need a couple of tubs of clean water, towels, more blankets.” Mel glanced at Dawn. “Boys, go help your dad.”
Jasper’s eyes widened at the groan that escaped Dawn’s throat.
Tara placed some pillows under her back. She looked up. “Jasper, Ben, Kacey, out.”
Jasper looked at me and I nodded. “I’ll call if we need anything.”
He kissed me softly then went to give Zane’s arm a squeeze before leaving.
Once the men were out, Tara pulled Dawn’s pants off and covered her with a blanket.
A few minutes later, Leslie walked in carrying the things Mel had ordered. “We heard the commotion from our room. What can I do to help?”
I showed her where to put the water so I could heat it and Mel asked her to get the towels and blankets ready. Once the water was warm I went to stand by Dawn. “I’m just going to run a green wave over you to make sure everything is fine with you, ok?”
She nodded and groaned as another contraction hit her.
I pulled the green over her and checked her from head to toe. I smiled and put a hand over Zane’s. “She’s fine.”
Dawn’s voice was just a whisper. “What about the babies?”
“I can’t tell. All I can feel is energy. They’re alive. That I know.”
The next groan made Zane’s eyes widen and the panicked look returned to his eyes. “Dawn?”
She took a deep breath. “I think I have to push.”
Mel, being the one with the most experience in this field, took
over. “Zane, help her sit up. Leslie, Tara, come hold her legs.” She knelt at the end of the bed and pulled the blanket back. “Hayden.” She looked up at me. “Well, here’s hoping we don’t need you.”
The next contraction hit and Dawn pushed with all that she was worth. After five more massive pushes Mel started to look a bit nervous. “Are you feeling it come down at all, hon?”
Dawn nodded and pushed again. Her moan echoed through the room.
Mel’s eyes lit up. “There! Almost there, Dawn. Just a few more like that.”
I got some wet cloths ready and handed them to Mel. My heart was in my throat.
One more push caused a little head to appear.
“Just one small push, hon.” Mel got a towel ready to catch the little being.
Dawn took a breath and the baby slipped out of her and into Mel’s hands. The wailing was instantaneous and we all smiled with relief.
Mel quickly wiped it down and washed it with the cloths I had provided. She passed it to me and I ran a green wave over it.
Everyone waited nervously.
I grinned. “Congratulations, guys.” I walked over to them and lay the baby in Dawn’s arms. “You have a beautiful baby girl.”
Zane kissed Dawn tenderly. “Good job, sweets.”
Dawn groaned and handed the baby back to me.
Zane’s eyes widened.
Dawn gave a couple more pushes and Mel smiled. “Don’t worry, Zane. You’re the proud daddy of one. That was just her body getting rid of everything else.”
I looked lovingly on my niece who had gone to sleep and kissed her forehead. “What are you going to name her?” I gave her back to her parents.
Dawn smiled at the little bundle in her arms. “Kara.”
We cleaned everything up and let the men into the room. Little Kara was passed between all of her aunts and uncles.
There was a knock on the door and Matthew walked in. “Is everything alright?”
Zane smiled and handed his daughter over to him.
Matthew’s eyes were wide with wonder. “She’s so small! And pale.” He looked up at me. “You’re sure she’s alright?”
I nodded.
Kara stretched her little arms over her head and my jaw dropped. Jasper was up in a flash with Alex right behind him. Everyone turned to look at what I was looking at.
Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' Page 18