The Fabled

by S. L. Gavyn

  I later forgave K. She had explained that she owed Roman big time for some previous debt and when he met me that night in the club he decided to call in. She didn’t even know what the elixir was but she knew Roman was taken with me so she was pretty sure it wouldn’t kill me. After apologizing a billion times I figured I would forgive her. I couldn’t honestly say I wouldn’t do the same thing in a similar situation. But what Roman did was unforgivable. My father later told me, when I met him for the first time, that he had warned Roman before giving him the elixir to make sure the Human he gave it to consented. It was my choice and he took it from me. Because of him I had to watch my children grow old while I stayed the same. Lucian eventually convinced me to fake my death and move on and it was my career as an agent of the council and later my relationship with Tristan that would give my life meaning again. But after everything I had to go through I don’t think I have it in me to ever forgive Roman Alexander. There was just too much pain caused by him. Too much regret. Too much heartbreak.

  We finally reached the cabin and I didn’t waste any time jumping down from the truck and heading inside. It was butt ass cold outside and I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so I could get back to Texas and catch my killer.

  I was led to a large room with a huge circle drawn in the middle of the floor and nothing else. K ran toward me as I entered the door but was stopped short by a couple of burly Weres.

  “Check her for weapons,” the largest man in the room said.

  He was obviously the alpha. I could tell not just because of his size but because of the sheer authority he exuded throughout the room. Without question one of the Weres came forward. I held my arms out to the sides and allowed him to frisk me.

  “I did not expect the elf’s champion to be so attractive. Perhaps I can convince my alpha to keep you when you lose,” he said in my ear as he patted my backside.

  “That won’t be happening. If you’re finished, I would appreciate you removing your hands from my ass cheeks.”

  There was a round of laughter through the wolves. I’m sure they would fist bump their brother if it wouldn’t upset the alpha. There had to be at least thirty or more wolves in the large room lining the walls. The Were moved away and the alpha came closer to inspect me. After a moment he turned to look at K.

  “This girl is your champion? I thought you wanted to be released.”

  There was more snickering among the wolves.

  “She’s going to kick your wolf’s ass then I’ll be released.”

  He looked back at me with one brow raised. I smiled at him.

  “Perhaps introductions are in order.” I reached out my hand to shake his. He hesitated for a moment before taking mine. My smile widened just slightly.

  “I am Victor Romansky, alpha of the Yukon Territory pack and you, little pet?”

  “Sunny Dubois.”

  He dropped my hand. Smart alpha. Every conversation died as soon as my name was spoken. Only whispers remained. “Thief, the Thief, It’s the Thief.” The silence drew on for a faction of a minute until at once all the wolves broke into speech. Mostly bets were being made. Some, who had obviously already placed their bets, were trying to change them while others wanted to place new ones. Apparently my odds had just went up. During the commotion the wolves barring K got distracted and she used the opportunity to come to my side. I had used the brief contact with the alpha to take some of his magic. Not much. Just enough to last me a few seconds but I don’t plan on this fight lasting very long. So if I play my cards right a few seconds will be more than enough. Especially if I have some Elf magic added in.

  K practically knocked me over when she reached me. Her hug was fierce for such a small person.

  “Oh Sunny, I’m so glad you’re here. I mean, I knew you would come but I worried you wouldn’t. I should have known you would never abandon me. You’re the best friend ever.”

  “Calm down woman. You’re killing me here.”

  She finally released me. “I’m sorry. I’m just really glad you came.”

  “Of course I came. You think I have friends coming out of the woodwork?” I leaned in close. “It’s not easy being the Thief you know.”

  I thought she might cry. “I’m so sorry. You know I mean that, don’t you? I never meant to make you this way.”

  I waved her apology off. “You didn’t make me anything. My father’s potion did. Besides, life’s not too bad. You will give me your hand though, won’t you?”

  I held out my hand to hers. Even though she had hugged me her clothes and mine had kept me from forming a connection to take some of her magic. Judging by the size of the men in this room I would need it for my upcoming fight.

  She looked at my hand for a moment before looking me in the eyes and putting her hand in mine. I smiled and she returned it. Trust was what it came down to and by allowing me to take some of her magic she was trusting me to only take what I needed and not enough to harm her.

  After a moment I gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it. I didn’t take very much. Elves really only had one ability other than being able to make potions and the such. But those things took preparation while this ability came second nature to them. It was the ability to pull their magic around them making them invisible to the naked eye. Of course there were counter-spells that would allow the spellcaster to see the Elf through their magic but I’m guessing these wolves didn’t have those spells and, even if they did, wolves aren’t good magic users. Their ability lies in brute force and since I now had some magic of the strongest wolf in this room I was hoping to end this beta before he managed to get a hold on me. I was only five-six and a buck twenty while the smallest wolf here looked to be six-four and a good two hundred and fifty pounds. All one would have to do is fall on me and he could suffocate me to death.

  The alpha stepped to the center of the ring and all the wolves quieted.

  “The contest will be to the death. My champion will be Christoph Nomak, beta of the Yukon Territory pack.”

  Victor pointed to a Were almost as big as he was and he stepped forward. As he walked his features slowly changed from that of a huge man to what can only be described as a wolfman. His nose and mouth elongated until it was the shape of a muzzle and long sharp teeth replaces normal Human ones while long hair grew around his face and head and his ears moved up and became pointed. His hands grew long, two inch claws that were curved on the ends to help dig into flesh. All in all he was one scary looking mofo but I wasn’t worried. The only thing that might really help him is the wolf nose. Like most dogs’ it’s super sensitive so even with the Elf magic he might be able to sense where I am. My hope is using the reserve of Vamp magic I have stored up will help me move fast enough to gain the upperhand.

  “The challenger will be the Thief, Sunny Dubois. The prize will be Karen Delaney, Elf of the light forest. Do you agree to this challenge, Thief?”

  I narrowed my eyes. He thought to demean me by using that nickname. What he didn’t know is that I really didn’t care what he called me.

  “I do. I would also call for a counter.”

  “A counter?” He laughed. “You mean you hope to win?”

  “Indeed I do. My counter is this, if I beat your wolf in under a minute, you will owe me a favor.”

  “What favor?”

  “Whatever favor I choose. Whenever I choose it.”

  It was his turn to narrow his eyes. No one in power liked to owe someone but it was within my right as K’s champion to request the counter.

  “I will agree as long as the request does not cause direct harm to my pack.”

  “I will not request the harm of your pack only, perhaps, the use of your warriors and yourself one day.”

  “Very well. The counter has been accepted. You must win within a minute and this is the strongest warrior I have.”

  He glanced at his beta and the look they shared spoke volumes. The alpha would win either way this contest turns out. It was obvious there was no
love lost between the alpha and his beta so if I killed him, it was likely that I would be doing the alpha a favor. Suddenly I wondered if this contest was as much about him winning K as his getting rid of a rival for his position. Ooh, this was a clever alpha. I wouldn’t mind helping him out with his beta problem since I will be getting something in return. Having a wolfpack in your back pocket wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.

  The alpha turned back to me and pointed to the half-wolf half-man standing opposite me. “My champion has chosen his weapon. What is yours, Thief?” He pointed to the walls where various weapons hung. “You can chose only one so choose wisely.”

  I smiled at him. This wasn’t my first rodeo, as the saying goes. “I choose magic.”

  Had I chosen one of the weapons on the wall I would have been prohibited from using any magic at all. Like he said, you can only choose one weapon and magic definitely qualified.

  The alpha smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “The Thief chooses magic.” He walked out of the ring to stand just outside of it. “Let the contest begin.”

  A gong rang out from somewhere and the beta lunged forward. At the same time I used K’s magic and became invisible while moving at Vamp speed. When I passed him I quickly turned and kicked the back side of his knee. As he started to fall I placed my knee in between his shoulder blades and grabbed his head with both hands. Calling on the alpha’s magic I pulled as hard as I could while pushing with my knee. His head came free as his body hit the floor. I dropped the concealment and with my knee still on his back I held out the head of my opponent and faced the alpha. Slowly I rose, walked to him and place the head at his feet before backing away again.

  “That was but six seconds by my counting, alpha,” I told him.

  K came to stand beside me. “Really? I had ten on my watch but then again I did have to pick my jaw up off the floor before I could check it so six was probably right.”

  You could hear a pin drop. I’m sure they were all expecting some long, drawn out, bloody fight but I wasn’t here to give them a show. I was here to kill a wolf and take my friend home.

  I waited for the alpha to acknowledge my victory but he just stood there motionless.

  “I will take my prize now if it suits the alpha.”

  He seemed to snap out of his daze. “Yes, you are the clear victor here. I grant you safe passage from my territory.”

  His eyes met mine for a second before turning away and I realized what had stunned him. It was fear. Don’t get me wrong. He was a wolf and therefore he would show no fear in front of his pack. To do so would be his death. But he couldn’t hide that look in his eyes before he turned to them. He saw how quickly I had decimated his closest rival and realized I could have done the same to him and perhaps his entire pack. It wasn’t often that a being as strong as an alpha of one of the largest wolf packs in the world meets someone strong enough to wipe him off the planet in a matter of seconds. Of course I had used my reserves of magic and didn’t have any more tricks up my sleeves. But he didn’t know that. Best to get out while I still can.

  I nodded to the alpha but wanted him to also acknowledge my counter. “I will leave but will call on you when needed.”

  He nodded and that was good enough for me. We were in K’s car heading for the border (or portal in this case) faster than you can say dead dog.

  Chapter Seven

  “Love at the Star Wars convention”

  “Oh my Gods, Sunny. That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen. And I grew up watching the dark Elves cut each other to shreds to earn the right to screw a light Elf.”

  “Um, TMI. I really don’t care about Elf mating ceremonies.”

  “Are you kidding? That was just a Friday night.”

  I rolled my eyes. My cell started ringing and I didn’t have to even look at it to know who it was.

  “Hey Tristan, I’m running late this morning. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

  “This morning? You do realize it’s three in the afternoon.”

  I looked at my watch. Damn, it had taken me longer than I thought it would to get to the cabin and take care of that wolf. And I still have another hour back to the portal. Actually, judging by the way K was driving we’ll probably make it in thirty.

  “I’ll be there within an hour and you can give me a rundown of what you learned.”

  “Well, it wasn’t much. Alright, I’ll see you in an hour. Is everything alright?”

  “Yep. I just had to meet with K and I lost track of time.”

  “Hi Tristan,” K screamed into the phone.

  “Uh, tell her hey back. And you just had to meet with her this morning in the middle of an investigation?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later. See you in about an hour.”

  He sighed. “Fine. Bye.”

  I hung up. Well, he certainly sounded crabby.

  “Our little boy’s all grown up isn’t he? Back talking, snarky and all. Got to love kids.”

  “You never liked kids and you know it.”

  “I liked him. He was always telling me how beautiful I was. That does something for a woman’s self-esteem.”

  “He was five and you were the only other woman he knew other than his ancient looking kindergarten teacher.”

  “Thanks Sunny. You really know how to pop someone’s bubble don’t you.”

  “It’s called reality, K. I hope you enjoyed the tour.”

  She stuck her tongue out at me and I rolled my eyes. She would never grow up. Maybe that’s why she’s never really liked kids. Because she is one and doesn’t like to share.

  We rode at break-neck speed while I enjoyed the scenery passing by. Finally I broke the silence.

  “So you never did tell me who this guy is you’re marrying.”

  She smiled at me. “It just so happens he’s going to meet us at the portal.”

  “Really. What’s his name?”

  “Marcus.”

  “And where did you meet Marcus?”

  She bit her lip. “Don’t laugh.”

  I held up my fingers in the “scout’s honor” pledge.

  “I’m pretty sure you were never a boy scout. But, anyway, I met him at a convention.”

  “A convention. What kind of convention?”

  “Um, a uh, Star Wars convention.”

  I had to work hard for several minutes to school my face into a composed oh-that’s-nice smile. “So, um, you’re both big Star Wars fans?”

  I was so proud of myself. I actually said that without laughing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a total Star Wars geek myself but I’ve never picked a guy up at one of the conventions. Actually I’ve never went to one of the conventions but that’s just because I have no life and don’t like crowds or people really.

  “You just had to laugh at me. Well excuse me for meeting someone with shared interests.”

  “I’m not laughing. I never laughed. I have you know I worked very hard at not laughing.”

  She shot me a deadpanned look.

  “That’s great K. I’m glad you met someone. Are you sure you want to marry him though? I mean, you have never wanted to settle down before.”

  “This is different. He’s different.”

  I nodded. She didn’t need my negativity. Either it would work out or it wouldn’t.

  “I want you to be my maid of honor.”

  “Me?”

  “You are my best friend.”

  “I am?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes Sunny.”

  “But I thought you had tons of friends.”

  “No. I have tons of acquaintances. I only have a few friends and you are the one I value most.”

  “Is this because you feel guilty?”

  She looked at me for a moment shocked. “No this isn’t about guilt! You think the only reason I could value our friendship is because of guilt? Do you not want to be my maid of honor?”

  “No, yes, I…No, I don’t think you only like me because you feel guilty and yes, I’ll be
your stinking maid of honor.”

  Her smile practically split her face. “Great. I knew you would. And look we’re here.”

  There was a slick, black Lexus parked next to my car. As we stopped the door opened and a man stepped out. He was of average height with ginger hair and the freckles to match. We got out of the car and K ran to him. They embraced for several seconds while I tried to make myself invisible. Too bad I didn’t have any more Elf magic. She finally released him and he turned to me and smiled. That was when I realized I knew him. Or, at least, I used to. He was the only friend of Roman’s I ever met during our time together. Now this is just plain weird.

  I looked at him then at K then back to him. How did she not know him before now? I’m not sure how long she had known Roman before I met him but it was apparent it had been some time. And she had never met Marcus?

  “Hello Marcus.” I held out my hand for him. He looked at it with a smile before taking it and shaking my hand. I only took a little of the Vamps magic. Enough to replenish what I used fighting the wolf.

  “Sunny. You look well. I see the years have been good to you.”

  “Oh, you two know each other?” K asked.

  “I met him when I was with Roman.”

  “Oh.”

  “You didn’t know he was friends with Roman?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t know the two of you had met.”

  “I guess it’s a small world.”

  Marcus laughed. “Indeed it is.” He turned to K. “Did you tell her about the wedding?”

  She mock slapped his arm. “Yes silly. Sunny’s going to be my maid of honor.”