Pairing the Partridge

by Zenina Masters

  He sat back with a frustrated expression on his face. “Well, shit.”

  She looked at him. “You look upset.”

  “Yeah, I am wondering how they feel about visitors because my family is going to want to cross back and forth frequently. Plus, I will need screen time for video chats.”

  She blinked. “You can do that?”

  He smiled. “The moment that I saw you, my beast started to strut. I was drawn to the tree before I knew you were here. If this is my destiny, I am not unhappy about it.”

  Zee blinked, and a tear fell from her cheek to the blanket. The droplet rolled off the fabric and disappeared into the grass before a plant shot up and a flower bloomed. Her face heated. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “What? Capture my soul or cry a magical tear?” He leaned forward and touched her cheek.

  “I definitely didn’t mean to capture anything. The tear was also an accident.” She looked at the flower, waving slightly as it continued to grow.

  “Do your tears always cause that?”

  “No, but I haven’t shed one since I was ten. So, I wouldn’t know what they are up to now.” She looked at him seriously. “Why don’t you find a nice shifter to settle down with? You have shifted already, so that isn’t an issue.”

  He smiled. “I shifted for you. My beast was called out by you. No one else. It chose you. I chose you, and we are going to be at your heels until you choose us.”

  She looked at him and leaned toward him for a kiss. Some of the wrapped food was a casualty, but it didn’t matter. After fifteen years of waiting and one day awake, she had found her mate.

  A strange sound made it to her ears around the roaring that was rippling through her senses. The heavy thumping of approaching magic eventually was beyond ignoring, and she finally had to look up and stare at the dragon that was landing in the shifter’s meadow.

  The huge golden dragon moved toward them with an undulating motion and turned into a human woman with long black hair and green eyes. Her gown was a matching green.

  “Zekila, it is so good to see you face to face. I was not anticipating you walking around so soon. Mak owes me five bucks.” She stepped forward. “I am Dira. I created the bulk of the Crossroads, and I am so delighted that you are here.”

  Zee let go of Axl and slowly got to her feet, bowing deeply. “Honoured Dira, thank you for greeting me.”

  Dira walked up to her and hugged her. “Thank you for coming here. It is your presence that has made the expansion possible.”

  “What?”

  “Didn’t King Larion tell you?”

  “No. He just banished me here until I found a mate.” Zee frowned, and the other woman sighed.

  “Right. What a twit. A charming twit but still a twit. Just because he finally has a mate on the horizon, he is suddenly shy about ordering folks into relationships.” Dira sucked in a deep breath. “Well, I told him I was on the lookout for a goddess-level fey to be installed at the Crossroads.”

  Zee looked at her, and things suddenly made sense. “No, he didn’t mention that, but I hear that you now have Wi-Fi and allow visitors, so I am okay with it.”

  Axl wrapped his arms around Zee from behind. “Lady Dira, what can I do to help?”

  Dira chuckled. “Axl, I do believe that you have done what you need to do. So, shall we arrange your binding and balancing before planning your honeymoon?”

  Zee blinked. “Right. So, I guess we are in a hurry.”

  Dira laughed. “Fair enough. The guardians are on the way, and we will get the details arranged. Happy Christmas, by the way.”

  Axl pressed a kiss to Zee’s neck before he whispered, “Happy Christmas.”

  Chapter Six

  Teal and Tony had clipboards and wrote down the people that Zee and Axl wanted as their witnesses.

  Teal smiled. “Excellent. We will make the arrangements, and your families can join us here this evening.”

  Zee was surprised. “This evening? That is a lot of transport.”

  Tony chuckled. “When King Larion was informed that you were awake and in two separate entities, he agreed to help transport your people as long as he was allowed to invite a few guests of his own.”

  “Guests?”

  “Yes, when you two are balanced, there is going to be a considerable amount of fertility energy that is just going to be loose in the air. The fey can benefit from it, so your ceremony is going to have some witnesses. As many as he can get here before moonrise.”

  Zee’s eyes widened. “I need a dress.”

  Axl chuckled. “I would prefer you naked.”

  She raised her brows. “Not in front of my parents.”

  He blinked and winced. “Right. Good point. I will see if I can get something for myself.”

  Tony grinned. “I can help with that, Axl. Come with me.”

  A quick kiss and Tony was leading Axl away.

  Dira looked Zee over and smiled. “I think we can get something for you. My niece is excellent at creating gowns.”

  “Niece?”

  Dira nodded. “Teebie. I am sure you have seen her.”

  Zee blinked. “But, she is far older than the Crossroads. She was born before the treaty.”

  Dira chuckled. “I know. It was my sister who gave me the idea for this place before she died. Her daughters’ lives could have been so much easier if there was parity between magical races.”

  Dira linked arms with Zee. Teal grinned. “I will go and make those calls.”

  With a short delay to pack up the picnic, they walked to the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast. Teebie was grinning in the doorway.

  “Hiya, Auntie. I have heard the news, and I have my fitting room ready. Come on in, Zekila. I have a dress blank with your name on it.”

  Putting herself into the hands of the djinn, she allowed herself to be set on a dais and measured while the djinn’s magic flowed out and around her. The process took a few hours, but when Dira held her hands together with tears in her eyes, Zee knew that Teebie had outdone herself.

  Zekila looked at the dragon and asked, “Why do we have to get balanced before we... you know.”

  Dira smiled. “You have goddess-level power in your body. The reason your tree sprouted here was that it finally had a place to go. You were just about ready to shatter into a thousand pieces. Some fey are born with barely any magic, but you were born with the magic of an entire generation in your body. That is too much for a physical form to manage.” She chuckled. “If you and Axl were to experiment before you were bound, you could very well blow your potential mate to pieces. The magic would seek an exit, and he is a soft target.”

  Zekila covered her mouth, and the beads on her dress made a delicate sound like raindrops. “That’s not good.”

  “Generally not. He might survive it, but he might not, and now that you have found your mate, why risk it?” Dira smiled.

  Teebie sat down on one of the chairs. “You look amazing.”

  “Thank you, Teebie. You do amazing work. Are you all right?”

  Teebie smiled softly. “I am just a little fatigued.”

  Zee walked over to her, took her hands, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You shouldn’t overdo it in your condition. Next time, just tell the fey to make it themselves.”

  Teebie’s face went from exhausted to perky. Dira was staring and smiling.

  “Teebie, you are pregnant?”

  Teebie nodded with a laugh. “We are. Andor and I wanted to wait a while before announcing this one, but it seems that it is out in the open.”

  Dira smiled and sighed. “Thank goodness. There are few phoenixes around. My girls have worked to increase the dragon numbers, but they are almost in college, so soon, I will prepare a place for you two at the village.”

  Teebie sighed. “And someone will have to take over the Open Heart.”

  Zekila smiled. “I would love to offer help, but I am not good with people. I am
good with paperwork.”

  Dira nodded. “Good to know, but to start with, you and Axl will head to one of the cabins in the hills. It will help you learn to fly and give him plenty of places to practice his newfound abilities.”

  Zee smiled. “Excellent. But, if you need it, don’t hesitate to call on me. If I am to make the Crossroads my home, I will have to have something else to do other than being a giant generator.”

  Dira sighed. “Your contribution in that vein is more than enough.”

  “And yet, I have always been active when I had hands and fingers. I look forward to finding something or somewhere to use my talents.” Zee smiled. “Speaking of that, I would like to go and talk with my tree a bit. It is best done at short range.”

  Dira nodded. “Of course. You will see the group gathering, and someone will come to claim you when it is time.”

  Zee smiled and thanked Teebie again before sailing out of the room covered in layers of silk that floated, swung, or kept the embroidery and beadwork in place. Couples stopped and stared as she walked out; single men and women alike gawked as she headed toward the shifter’s meadow. Her tree was still there, wearing its gown of ribbons and glittery strands.

  She walked up to the tree and pressed her forehead to it. “So, this is what you were after. You saw the man you wanted and made me a body as quickly as you could. Nicely done.” The tree rustled her branches, and the leaves chattered amused agreement. “So, my years of abstinence were annoying?” More rustling. “You are a class act.”

  She turned and pressed her back to her tree. “Did you know we were banished here?”

  There was some soft rustling.

  “Great. No wonder you rooted the second we landed.”

  She leaned against her tree as the preparations were made for her binding and balance ceremony.

  A woman in eclectic clothing and a handsome-looking man approached her. “Zekila?”

  The woman smiled. “Zekila, I am Melwiss, and this is Tomas.”

  Tomas nodded. “We are going to be binding and balancing you today, but no one has ever done it to someone of your power level before.”

  Zee smiled. “Well, I have never done this before, so why don’t we go through the basics? I will do better with the basics, and then, you can share that information with Axl. No surprises today.”

  They went through the ceremony with her. She gave them a demonstration of power, and then, her mother ran up to her and gave her a hug. The others bowed out, and she had to soothe her mother about her banishment and introduce her mother and father to her tree.

  Her mother touched the trunk, and she smiled. “Oh, my dearest daughter. You now have two bodies. You are truly blessed.”

  Her father looked at her with a sober expression. “So, you are anchored here now?”

  “I am. My roots run deep through this place and have for the last fifteen years.” She smiled at her mother hugging the tree.

  Her dad hugged her. “You look wonderful, and it isn’t just the clothing. Your head is up, your eyes are direct, and you are smiling naturally instead of the forced one you normally put on when you are facing a strange situation. So, either the Crossroads agrees with you, or your fiancé does.”

  She smiled. “His beast and my tree get along very well. He and I get along fine with that electric crackle that marks our differences.”

  Her dad chuckled. “Ah. That. Yeah, that little crackle has assisted the line that our people are incompatible for centuries; it is an artificial dividing line that can be easily overlooked if folks want to. I am guessing you want to.”

  “The Crossroads has a plan for that. Our energy will be divided, mixed, mingled, and stuffed back into us. I have been warned that there is some overspill, so that is why the married half of the court is being invited. I believe that King Larion has the idea that there might be a fertility side effect to my magic.”

  Her mother chuckled. “I can see that.” She inhaled and exhaled, leaning up against the tree.

  A branch leaned down and formed a chair. Zee sat down and began to swing gently on it. Her parents looked at her and smiled gently. Her mother and father stood with their arms linked around each other and watched her.

  “What are you staring at?” She gave them a look under her lashes.

  Her father chuckled. “You finally look all grown up. All these years, we have been waiting for you to actually have a look in your eyes that shows you are looking forward to a future. We have not seen that look in your eyes before. It is good, the changes are good. We have also been invited to visit you every six months if we like. We shall leave that up to you.”

  “Axl said that we can video chat here as well.”

  Her mother grinned. “Excellent. We have just learned how to do that, and it does make meetings better when folks can’t travel.”

  “What else have I missed?”

  Branches came down and made seats for her parents, and they remained there, talking softly together and catching up on the missing years.

  The far end of the shifter’s meadow gradually filled with spectators and guests. When Melwiss walked up to her and held out her hand, it was time.

  Zekila walked past the fey couples holding hands tightly and looking at her hopefully. They had desperate expressions on their faces, and she nodded politely as she passed.

  Axl was being escorted to the platform by Tomas.

  When they were all on the polished wood, they were arranged into a square with all hands being held, the mages together, and Melwiss holding Zee’s hand and Tomas’s as well. They were acting as a storage medium for any spillage.

  Axl squeezed the hand he was holding. “Ready?”

  She nodded. “Not in the slightest.”

  He grinned.

  Melwiss looked at them. “Do you two agree to spend and join your lives together? Will you give to each other, take from each other, and support each other in the time to come?”

  Zee looked into Axl’s golden brown eyes. “With all I have and all I am, I give it freely.”

  He smiled. “With all I have and all I am, I give it freely.”

  Melwiss smiled tightly. “Right, Andrew, Trill, stand by.”

  There were two shifters who stepped up behind them, hands out, palms flat.

  Tomas sighed softly, “Here we go.”

  The draw on Zee’s energy started as a trickle, and she kept her eyes locked with Axl’s as the energy slowly drained away. Melwiss broke a sweat as she worked at the power transfer, and time stretched on before she paused. “Tomas, pull on Axl. His energy might shove hers out of the way.”

  Tomas did as asked, and then, there was another long moment of silence. “No good. She isn’t budging.”

  “There is just too much.”

  A green light wrapped around them, and there was a flash. They were now standing with the tree between Axl and Tomas.

  Zee looked at Axl and grinned as he was flanked by her on both sides. The energy started flowing, and it spun faster and faster. The match mage’s backups were helping, and then, Melwiss muttered, “Great, now we have to lock this down.”

  The energy slowed, and Zee felt the light and ticklish brush of Axl’s power while he looked slightly drunk. Zee looked at him. “We have to take this all in now. Are you ready?”

  He smiled and nodded. Zee held his hand, and she pulled her power in out of Melwiss and out of the tree. It was hard to put it all back in, and it took what felt like forever, but the moon had finished its rise and was overhead when the last trickle was locked in.

  Melwiss and Tomas gasped, inhaled, and locked the power into Axl, Zee, and the tree. They and their assistants collapsed.

  The snap of energy sent a wave of power out across the shifter’s field and washed over the assembled and spread out across the Crossroads.

  Zee moved in close to Axl. “So, we just have to consummate this, and things will stabilize.”

  He smiled. “I think w
e should get to that sooner rather than later. How do I look?”

  “You have pointy ears and a crown of pear leaves. How do I look?” She felt something moving at her back.

  “I think you’re an angel.”

  She looks at him with gleaming eyes. “I don’t want to wait. Do you think we can make it to the top of the tree?”

  He caught her up in his arms. “I am thinking that it is the best idea I have heard in weeks.”

  His wings carried him up into the thick crown of the tree, decorated with festive garlands, and they started their honeymoon.

  Chapter Seven

  Zekila’s parents helped the mages to their feet. They didn’t need to be in close quarters to the tree when the consummation would throw out the second wave of power as the two new beings settled.

  Melwiss whispered as they helped her away. “It didn’t end. The power didn’t end.”

  Kerdia smiled. “Nature doesn’t end. It can be weakened but never destroyed. I think that Larion had her sent here because she would have been next in line to be the ruler of Underhill if he doesn’t have an heir.”

  “That makes a certain amount of sense. I am just... I have never... That was a new one.”

  Tomas groaned over from the other side.

  They had just reached the gathering and reception when the thud of power locking sent another wave out, and those who had just gotten to their feet were knocked flat again.

  Teal and Tony were speaking calmly to Larion, apparently untouched.

  Kerdia smiled. She knew better. This year would be a bumper crop for the fey. Those who were invited and who showed up were nearly guaranteed an offspring if they consummated their relationships in the next month or so. Her grandmother had had excellent records with being able to spur on pregnancy in the fey. It hadn’t been surprising when the talent showed up in her daughter.

  Achron looked at her as they set the spent mages down with their mates.

  He wandered over to her and smiled. “We did a good job with her. Do you want to try it again?”