Dark Side (Shifting Crossroads)

by Zenina Masters

  Elly settled back against the pillows with her coffee cup empty, waiting for the familiar tingle of magic.

  Part of her wanted to run out and find Eric, but her body was letting her know that her mind wasn’t the only thing under stress. She had to attend to one before she could worry about the other.

  As the magic prickled across her skin, she wondered what her chances were of meeting Eric again. Her night stallion had disappeared with the sunrise.

  * * * *

  There were too many to fit in the office, so he gathered his fifty sisters in the ballroom. “I want an explanation.”

  The ladies looked at each other, and one raised her hand.

  “Nishi.”

  “I was contracted by one of her siblings. She has disregarded their family lines and has whored herself in the king’s court.”

  Eric pinched his nasal bridge. “She is inexperienced, and she has no siblings.”

  That set off seven more of his sisters. They shifted with uneasy looks.

  “Here is her biography. I found it in less than twenty minutes. She is a half-breed, her mother died in childbirth, raised by a human orphanage, sprouted her elven characteristics between eleven and twelve, and after a traumatic first day, was raised at one of the half-elf schools at the expense of the elven court.”

  He paced back and forth. “When she graduated, she was sent to the court with her master musician credentials already in place. After an audition, she was assigned the position of the king’s musician, and she has spent every day for the last five years playing for him, until now.”

  He raised his voice. “Does any of this information conflict with any of the information you were given? Raise your hand if it was.”

  All but two of his sisters raised their hands.

  “She has also not pursued any physical relationships in the court or out of it.”

  The last two grimaced and raised their hands.

  “Right. I have a ledger here. I want you to enter your name and the person who summoned you to enact punishment upon the musician.”

  He stood next to the ledger on the podium and watched the same three names crop up over and over again.

  Nishi paused and asked, “What are you doing with this information?”

  “I am going to take it to the fey king and ask his forgiveness for the idiot mares who could not even ask the ether a simple question.”

  He looked at the rest of the gathered siblings. “A question that we have been designed to ask since we were born. Are they worthy of punishment? We are descended from the furies, and you have betrayed the family credo of pursuing justice. By our own rules, you should all sink into madness, but the times have changed, and the old gods are dead. We serve truth now, and it is up to all of you to find that truth.”

  His sisters looked anywhere but at him.

  “Have I made myself clear?” He raised his voice and enforced it with his beast’s strength.

  The ladies lifted their heads, nodded and milled around trying to avoid his gaze.

  Eric sighed. “Right. Get to bed. I will figure out what you should do for atonement later.”

  Nishi raised her hand. “How did you know?”

  “Bad paperwork. No one’s name shows up that often unless they are sleeping their way through their family, and killing every morning.”

  “I meant her activities? How did you know she wasn’t guilty?”

  He gave her and the others a bland look as he panned the room. “I have seen every inch of her mind, and there isn’t a hostile bone in her body. She is solitary by the situation, not by choice.”

  “Oh.”

  Eric looked at Nishi with a raised brow. “I am not just in charge by virtue of gender. I can see souls, Nishi. So can you if you bother to.”

  * * * *

  Eric stood and waited to be announced. He had pulled his energy around him, and it made a definite impression on the chamberlain.

  “His Majesty will see you now.” The page smiled and bowed.

  Eric followed and was led through the audience chamber and into a private office.

  Inside the room, he found himself facing Larion, king of the fey. “Your Majesty.”

  “Herd master. What can I do for you?”

  “It has come to my attention that a few of your courtiers have engaged nightmares to torment your musician.”

  He nodded. “I am aware of it. Elenora insisted on going to the Crossroads even when we knew.”

  “Are you aware of the three of your fey that have sent the nightmares to drive her mad?”

  “Do you have the names?”

  “I do.”

  The king got to his feet. “What will you take in exchange for the names of the traitors?”

  “Traitors?”

  “They are against my musician and my friend and, therefore, me. A crime against one of the king’s inner court is treason.”

  “Very well. These are the three names that were identified by those they contracted for the assault.”

  The king nodded, and his lips tightened. “I knew about two, but her grandmother is a bit of a surprise. I will deal with it.”

  “What will happen to them?”

  “They will be banned from court and have their lands and assets seized.”

  “Will Elenora be blamed?”

  “No, they have assaulted me. I will make that clear in the punishment.”

  He smiled. “Tell them that she is in a coma.”

  The king raised his brows. “Is she?”

  “No, but if I had not arrived when I did, she would be.”

  The king nodded and leaned back on his desk. “So, what do you want from me?”

  “I want to court Elenora.”

  Lorian’s mouth curved into a slow smile. “Have a seat. We are going to engage in some heavy negotiations for my favourite member of my court.”

  Eric sat. He didn’t know what had urged him to ask for permission to court Elenora, but it felt so right once it was said. His beast was delighted. It wanted her silky thighs against his back again and again.

  Chapter Six

  Her hand was wrapped with a compress on it, and her concert had been postponed for a day. Elly sat at the café in casual clothing again and sipped at her coffee.

  Her right hand had sprains and inflamed tendons. She would be fine in a day or so, but in the meanwhile, she was allowed to be just another fey in the café.

  Drak’s analysis spell had told her that she had no physical symptoms on the exterior of her body, but muscle tension had created a number of twinges and aches that should be seen to by a massage therapist. Her appointment was in an hour.

  The server came by and handed her a postcard with Elly’s image on it. “Could you sign this for me?”

  She looked at the bandage on her right hand, and the woman blushed and flinched. “I am sorry. I was just taking advantage of an opportunity.”

  Elly chuckled. “Leave me a pen, and I will see what I can do.”

  The woman smiled and unclipped one of the pens from her notebook. “Anything else you need, call me over.”

  Elly nodded and looked down at the image of her wearing her performance costume with her pinned hair and heavily embroidered outer layer over six other wraps of silk.

  She picked up the pen in her left hand and held it so that the point was just touching the card. She whistled softly, over and over until the pen started to move, and when she had it in her thrall, she whistled her name onto the page.

  She stopped the moment her signature was down. The pen dropped and rolled off the edge of the table.

  Elly started to scoot to the edge of the booth she was in. A dark head ducked down below the end of the table, and when he stood, Eric was smiling at her. “Good morning.”

  “I think it is afternoon.”

  He slid into the booth on the other side of her. “I believe you are right. Good afternoon, Elenora.”

&n
bsp; He set the pen sideways in front of her. She noted that he had one of the Crossroad’s bands on his wrist.

  “You didn’t have one of those before.” She frowned and drew her brows together.

  “That is correct. It is a new addition.”

  “I see.” She gripped her coffee cup with her left hand and kept her right under the table. “You are shopping for a mate?”

  He nodded. “It is a recent trajectory, but I am confident that a few days or weeks here and I can locate the mate for me.”

  The server returned, and Elly turned to smile. “There. All signed.”

  “Thank you. You are the first public performer here at the Crossroads, and I think you might be signing several more of these before the day is over.”

  Elly whispered, “Who is handing them out?”

  “The latest fey who arrived this morning. His name is Akin, I believe.”

  She set her cup down with a thud. “You are fucking kidding me.”

  The server jumped. “What?”

  Elly ignored Eric’s consternation and scooted out of the booth before raising her hand. “I will be back to settle the bill.”

  The woman smiled. “No worries, your tab is on the fey court.”

  Elly nodded and strode out of the café in search of her father.

  Eric was on her heels and muttering, “What happened to your hand?”

  “It is just a sprain. I had to call off today’s concert, but it should be fine tomorrow.” She looked around and headed for the bar.

  Eric gripped her shoulder and spun her around. “Where are you going?”

  She scowled. “I am going to find my father. I want to know what he is doing smarming around with my photos.”

  Eric’s lips quirked. “Smarming?”

  “It was all I could think of.”

  “Do you really need to see him right now?”

  She nodded. “I am about to get a massage for my aches and pains. I want to get the stress over before I get naked.”

  His eyes darkened for a moment. “Ah, well, that is sound.”

  She snorted and turned back toward the bar. “Follow me if you like; I am going to speak to my father.”

  Akin was sitting at the bar, and there were three shifter women gathered around him.

  “Father!” She rapped it out.

  He turned to her with a smile. “Elenora. I am so glad to see you.”

  She walked up to him and bowed her head as she made a small curtsy. “I am glad to see you in health. Now, why the hell are you here?”

  He raised his wristband. “The seers sent me. They have seen me with a shifter who has an enchanted beast. I am looking forward to seeking her out.”

  Elly rubbed her forehead with her left hand. “What about the cards?”

  “Ah, the king wishes you to take your musical skills into the human world, so as this is your first gig, it is appropriate for folks to want a souvenir.”

  She wanted to smack him, but her hand hurt.

  “Ah, Herd Master Eric, how nice to see you again so soon.” Akin smiled.

  Elly turned and watched as Eric extended his hand to her father. “It is nice to see you so soon as well.”

  Akin looked at him. “Are you making progress?”

  “No, but the day is young.”

  Elly’s hand throbbed with the tension she was currently under. “Are you two having a nice chat?”

  Eric touched her arm. “We are just abiding by the standard polite protocols.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Right, well, if the seers have sent you, I wish you well in finding your mate.”

  “Thank you, daughter. I wish you the same.” He winked.

  He turned back to the triad of ladies he was charming, and Elly sighed and walked out the door with Eric trailing after her.

  “Your father is here to find a mate?”

  “Apparently. When the seers send a full-blood fey here, it is with the express mission of finding a mate in a shifter. My dad has already proven that he can sire a child with power, so they are after him to do it again.”

  Eric was striding along with her, matching her furious paces. “I believe that you might not be in the right mindset to get the best benefit from a massage. Would you care for a brisk walk?”

  She paused and nodded. “That might be for the best. Let me just pop in and let them know I am not coming.”

  “Very polite.”

  Elly went to the hairstylist and made her excuses. They told her to return if she needed anything. No appointment necessary.

  Eric was waiting patiently for her outside, and when she had finished letting the massage therapist know that his skills were no longer required, they went on their walk.

  Silence was their companion for the first twenty minutes, and then, fatigue began to creep in on Elly. She winced. “I think I need to rest.”

  “I know just the spot.”

  A few minutes later, he helped her to a seat on an overturned tree. There was a brook, a smooth carpet of grass, and plenty of daylight mixing with the shadows.

  “This is lovely.” She sat with her right hand cradled in her left.

  He sat next to her. “May I see?”

  She frowned and then realized he was gesturing to her hand. She sighed and extended her hand to him, wrappings and all.

  “I have some skill with pulled muscles. One of the side effects of being a horse when shifted. Rubdowns are part of the transformation.” He unwrapped her hand with slow and steady motions. He hissed when the bruising and cut skin was exposed.

  “I... how did you do this?”

  “The ocarina. My body was hanging onto it like a lifeline because it was.”

  He shook his head and gently drew his fingers along her skin, the touch heating and cooling in turns.

  Elly swayed, leaning against his arm while his steady touch took the pain away. “That is... thank you.”

  He made a soft sound and continued to stroke, flexing her fingers and curling her thumb. When she dared to look at her hand, it looked slightly pink but otherwise uninjured.

  “Eric?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do I know that I have made it out of the dream?”

  He paused. “Do you feel like this isn’t real?”

  “I didn’t know that shifters existed until three years ago. After that, the world felt a little tilted. This incident has tilted it a whole lot more.”

  “Well, our world is odd. I have fifty half-sisters. I was expected to seed the next wave of nightmares. I have chosen not to. The next night stallion will occur randomly in the population, as will the night mares. I will have to seek them out and train them, but aside from that, I am choosing to live my own way. It feels like a dream now and then.”

  She stared. “Fifty-one children?”

  “Are you sure that you are your father’s only child? If he chose a human once, he could have done it before or after.”

  Her mind spun. “You are right. The fey court doesn’t catch us all. If there is a human parent in the mix, they won’t pull the child.”

  “And if the human is a mage, they won’t dare try anything.”

  “That little addition just boggles my mind. Sure, fey exist, but all this other magic floating around is astonishing.” She tried not to squirm as he worked his healing touch up her arm. All the aches and pains were being warmed and cooled away.

  “Just because the fey are in the public eye doesn’t mean that they are the strongest magic out there. We have ancient shifters who could burn the fey court to the ground.”

  She quirked her lips. “Not that you are bragging.”

  “It is a fact.”

  His grip moved across her shoulder, and he twisted her slightly, straddling the tree behind her so he could get a better angle. “The shifters and fey magic have always had a visible collision, so for example, the nightmares have avoided the court so as not to give away their position.”


  She slumped forward as the tension that held her upright relaxed and let her limbs do what they wanted to. They wanted to become liquid, and Eric was making that happen.

  “Why wouldn’t they want to be seen?”

  He paused. “Did they tell you about the Sandmen? They are the only thing that can have an effect on a nightmare.”

  She smiled slightly while he massaged her left arm. “Yes, I know them. They tested me when I first arrived at court. I didn’t have the aptitude for cold analysis, so I just stuck with the music.”

  He paused. “They tried to recruit you?”

  “Yeah, but I giggle too much. They are some serious folks.”

  He finished working on her left hand and rubbed his thumbs between her shoulder blades. “So, they are not big on humour?”

  “Not really. They take the deadly danger that they pose to their targets seriously. My mind was still stuck in whimsy, but I had just turned eighteen.”

  He paused again. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-three. You?”

  He sighed and continued down to her lower back. “Relieved. The fey are notoriously hard to pin down age-wise. I was horrified that you might be several hundred years old.”

  “Don’t like older women?”

  He snorted. “Not that much older. If they were on the first vessels to cross over, I am a little nervous about them.”

  She snorted. “You would hate my grandmother then. She has centuries behind her, and she uses it.”

  “What of your grandfather?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. No one ever mentions him. There is one portrait in my grandmother’s quarters, but she shredded his face.”

  “Ah. That would explain it. Was your father ever asked to become a Sandman?”

  She huffed when he put pressure on her back. “Yes, when he was young. His temperament wasn’t right for it either. He is a little too much the wandering minstrel. He enjoys being flirty.”

  “He will have a lovely time at the Crossroads. The ladies will enjoy rejecting him when he doesn’t match their senses.”

  “They seemed pretty keen on him at the bar.”

  “If their beasts find him a good choice, they will continue their pursuit. Right now, their human side is bringing them in close. Their beast takes over at close range.”