Seeing Spots

by Zenina Masters

  He shrugged. “A friend met his mate here, and he swears that fate sticks its fingers in this place on a regular basis. He and his mate just had a child. A little baby girl.”

  Teebie smiled. “He is referring to Lee and Jim. James is his friend. They are the same kind of shifters.”

  “What kind is that?”

  Warren winced. “I don’t want to rub it in, but I am a tiger.”

  Sable laughed. “And tigers get all the chicks. You must have had a rough time of it. Finding a mate is hard for you when all the women want you for your stripes.”

  He raised his brow. “You don’t?”

  She smirked. “I am good with spots. I like my spots.”

  “You are very impressive. All lithe and graceful.”

  “Thank you, it is the beast I was born with.” She ate one of the teeny creampuffs with a smile. It seemed her body was a bottomless pit.

  “It is a very lovely beast. You shine in the light of the afternoon sun.”

  “Not for two more days.” Sable made a face.

  “It is not so long a period of time.”

  “You are really not making it better.”

  He got up and came around the table, weaving his fingers through her hair and tugging her head back. He kissed her with a ravenous flurry of lips and tongue, pulling back when she started to respond.

  She blinked and pressed a hand to her mouth, the slight swelling of her skin and the throb in her lips was impossible to ignore. “Why did you do that?”

  “I tried to make things better and you weren’t going for it, so I tried something different.” He returned to his seat and drank his tea.

  Sable felt like her eyes were as wide as saucers. When he continued to smile, she pulled her fingers from her lips and cupped her hands around her teacup. “It was certainly distracting. How are you dealing with your restriction? I mean your being stuck here.”

  He propped his chin on his fist and stared at her with brilliant leaf-green eyes. “I am managing to keep myself entertained.”

  Sable focused on her plate and finally felt full. She sipped at her tea and groped for another conversational gambit.

  Sable sighed. “I need to go for a walk.” She stood up and held onto the table while her head spun.

  He rose to his feet and offered her his hand. “I will come with you. You still don’t seem very steady on your feet.”

  She felt his free hand touch her lower back. “Is that an excuse to get some fresh air or cop a feel?”

  He chuckled. “I love a surprise, don’t you?”

  * * * *

  Dira sighed and stretched as the negotiations proceeded. “I think I need to call a break before I lose my control and start eating elves.”

  The table went quiet and Wormith went pale. “I believe a twenty-minute break is definitely called for.”

  The gathering broke up and Mak came over to rub her shoulders. “You are doing well, but this is going to be different than the first time you worked with the Crossroads. You are going to have a lot more magic to deal with for one thing. Can you still shape it?”

  Dira put her hand over his on her shoulder and turned her head to inhale the scent of his skin.

  She pressed a kiss to his arm and she twisted to look up at him. “I can still do it. Blending the magics will make it a lot bigger than it currently is, but it is doable. It will also provide more living space for those who are not equipped to live with humanity next door. It is a good plan, a good idea. I am just upset by the means by which they have done this. There have been no overtures to me regarding the expansion or inclusion. If they had done that earlier, there would have been no reason to cut the Crossroads loose.”

  She got up and he gave her the hug that she needed. She didn’t mention the sixty occupants and eight guests currently in the Crossroads. He knew that she was worried.

  She held him for the rest of the break and took the emotional strength that she needed. He offered it to her without a whimper. Mak’s personal strength as not just her lover but also a business partner meant that he knew how high the stakes were for her. If she rebuilt the Crossroads with fey magic in the mix, everything would change and her connection would be diluted.

  When everyone was back at the table, she looked around. “Now, we need to address security.”

  Wormith blinked. “Pardon me?”

  “Security. We need all access to be done through authorized transporters. As you are no doubt aware, there has always been a trade of goods for the transport services. This has served two purposes. It provides the mages with the materials they need for their spells and it makes sure that checks are run on those who are being sent to the Crossroads so that no one can cross the threshold with ill intent. It is a safe space and no matter who seeks love, it must remain so.”

  Wormith frantically began writing and he muttered to himself as he nodded. He closed his eyes.

  Dira watched as his eyeballs darted beneath the lids. She could feel the communication he was engaged in.

  When his eyes opened, he nodded. “The transporters will still remain the link to the Crossroads. The fey will need a list of transporters in their area.”

  Krisia nodded. “I can do that. Now, what will the fey offer to us as payment for the transport?”

  Wormith cleared his throat. “What is normally offered?”

  Krisia smiled. “Pieces of the beast form. Nails, feathers, fur, scales, horns, whatever is their preferred means of payment. What can the fey offer?”

  Wormith closed his eyes again.

  Dira took Mak’s hand when he joined her at the table. As a unicorn whose family could either mate with another of their species or find their own mate, he was concerned for his children and his siblings. The Crossroads had brought them together, and he was as interested in the protection and future of the dimensional bubble as she was.

  It was strange that a survival-based hostage situation had been necessary to bring them all to the table.

  Dira had a sudden thought and she picked up her cell phone, making a call. “Lekiadra, I would like a representative to come here and join a conversation. Your folk are not represented here and I believe it would be beneficial.”

  Her great grandniece hemmed. “What is up?”

  “Access to the Crossroads for those who wish to find their mates amongst the shifters or other fey.”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  Wormith stared at her with wary eyes. “What was that?”

  “I have invited another interested party to join in the negotiations. My niece is on her way.”

  He was confused. “I thought your niece was at the Crossroads?”

  “I have more than one. This is my great grandniece, Lekiadra. She has a history of being involved in djinn matters. If the fey can seek love at the Crossroads, it would be arrogant to cut them out. We might face this same situation with them.”

  Wormith opened and closed his mouth.

  Norman shifted and smiled tightly. “Now that we have a moment to wait, why don’t we discuss the matter of your folk holding ours in exhibits?”

  Wormith swallowed and nodded. “That is being addressed. With the possibility of mates accessible only through the Crossroads, our people now have an interest in keeping yours free and clear. The policing will become aggressive and we will find the pockets of collections and release all those who are held. It will take months, but we will free them all.”

  Norman narrowed his eyes but he nodded. “We are not going to stop hunting for our own and setting them free.”

  “Nor should you. We support your efforts to reclaim your own, and we will help as we organize ourselves to this new direction. Not all of our kind are enthusiastic about this move, but our leaders acknowledge what many of us have known for generations. We are dying and we need to get more magic into the bloodline if we are to make it into the next century.”

  Dira’s djinn appeared in a puff of smoke,
leaned over and kissed her cheek before taking a seat at the table. “The djinn agree that the option to find mates in the shifter community would be a boon, and we are willing to provide three small orbs of creation as our gift for transport.”

  Krisia smiled. “Fair price. We accept your offer.”

  Dira looked to Wormith. “That is how it is done.”

  He looked from her to her niece and back again. “Your sister bred true to the father of the children.”

  Dira nodded. “Most shifters do, though djinn magic does not mix well with ours. It is not the first union of this type, nor the last. My sister and her mate had a family and Lekiadra is the most recent generation.”

  Wormith cleared his throat. “She is not blue.”

  Lekiadra shifted from a desert dweller tan to the pale blue of her people. “You were expecting this?”

  The gathering stared at Lekiadra until Dira cleared her throat. “This is my niece, descendant of my blood. She is proof that shifters can breed with other non-humans and retain her power, as is my other niece who is currently at the Crossroads.”

  Lekky smiled at her. “Teebie is far more powerful than any of our other relatives, but she hates using a glamour to change her looks. She likes to be blue all the time.”

  Dira winked and returned to the gathering. “Lekiadra has the blood of a line of dragons, a gryphon and the djinn in her. It has not diluted over the years and her family can still breed generation after generation.”

  Wormith stared at Lekiadra with focus. “That is what we want. We want a chance to survive.”

  Lekiadra gave the elf a sober look. “Only a few of the djinn will have us. They consider our blood contaminated. Having access to a place where we could find someone who takes us on as equals is just as tempting to us as it is to you.”

  She waved her hands and a full selection of beverages and small sweets appeared in front of every delegate. “No sense in being uncivilized about this.”

  Dira smiled and inclined her head. “And now the djinn are in on the negotiations. Good. Now that everyone is at the table, perhaps we can get this ratified and then go looking for the Crossroads.”

  Wormith blinked. “What?”

  Dira raised her eyebrows. “The Crossroads was set on a path and you broke that pathway to cut the ties. Once this is finished, I will need seers. I will need transporters and I will need a lot of fey energy to undo what you have done. This isn’t over.”

  He closed his eyes and spent a moment with them darting around. “Tell them where and they will be there.”

  “Right. Norman, Tobias, can you get scribes in here and start taking this down? We need to get this show on the road.”

  Chapter Five

  Sable was beyond frustrated. She was still weak and her vision was unreliable. The walk had cleared her head a little, but she was still dizzy.

  “Come on, you need to get off your feet.” Warren patted her hand.

  She scowled up at him and he spun in her vision. “Fine. Which way back to the bed and breakfast?”

  He kept his hand over her arm, and he walked with her for two minutes before leading her up a set of stairs.

  The vivid blue of Teebie approached and was at her side in an instant. “What is it?”

  Warren supported her from the other side. “She is losing her vision.”

  Teebie cursed before she said, “Back to your room, Sable.”

  Sable let herself be led, and she muttered, “Worst vacation ever.”

  Warren stayed with her, and he eventually nodded off sitting upright and holding her in her bed.

  Sable blinked to clear her vision of the bright spots. Teebie was standing next to the bed and her hands were glowing.

  Sable whispered, “What are you doing?”

  “I am trying to send a message. I can’t get through via the normal channels, but you don’t have the luxury of waiting for a rescue. You need help now and it is more than I can offer. I am creating a homing beacon with all the information that Dira needs to find us as well as a message regarding the circumstances of your arrival and your current condition.”

  Sable whispered, “Why didn’t you send the message before?”

  “I thought that whatever was being acted out was necessary. Now, your life is more important.”

  Warren spoke softly, “Send the message, Teebie. She’s getting colder.”

  Sable looked down where Warren’s hand was on her wrist. She couldn’t feel him and she began to worry. This was not getting better and she needed help.

  “Please send the message, Teebie.”

  Teebie nodded and the glow between her hands became an orb. She whispered words that Sable’s ears couldn’t understand, and the orb pulsed with life, lifted away from her hands and darted toward the portrait of a dragon on the wall across from the doorway.

  When the orb passed through it, the dragon glowed and Teebie took a seat at the table. “Now we wait. If I don’t see a response in half an hour, I will send another.”

  Warren asked, “How will you know?”

  “The dragon will breathe fire. Just keep Sable calm and warm.” There was a tremor in the djinn’s voice.

  Sable turned in Warren’s arms and pressed her mouth against his throat.

  He flipped blankets over them both and pressed a kiss to her temple. “It will be fine, Sable. I am sure that everything will be fine.”

  She held onto him and tried to relax, but her body couldn’t even feel his and she was lying on top of him. Sable fought the tears of panic that were pushing at her eyes and pretended to sleep. He stroked her back and she tried to relax. It was going to be a very tense half hour.

  * * * *

  Dira felt something coming, and she rose to her feet a moment after she had signed the document. Lekiadra stood as well.

  The orb appeared a few steps from Dira and slammed into her, knocking her backward. Images flowed into her and she shook as she absorbed Teebie’s message.

  Dira slumped forward and planted her hands on the table, staring at Wormith. “There was a shifter in the tether when you cut it.”

  He paled and shook his head. “No. There was no scheduled transport. We made sure of that.”

  “Shifters called by their transporters will come when called. She got a call and was in the pipeline the moment that the connection was lost. She is failing and we need to get that connection back. Now.”

  Dira felt her skin scaling over. She had been willing to play as long as there was no danger of a shifter being injured. Now, that was off the table and she was done playing.

  Wormith swallowed. “What can we do?”

  “I need healers specializing in shifters, she will need a few. I need power from the fey, she is losing life force, and I need that tether back. Everyone. Here. Now.” She pointed at the document. “Sign!”

  Fire shot out of her mouth, and the elf moved around the table to add his signature to the document. Norman, Tobias and Krisia all signed and nodded. The five copies were separated and each got one for their archives.

  Wormith began to communicate and he was sweating.

  Dira watched him, and she heard her dress tear up the back as her wings sprouted. Holding her human form was not going to be an option for a few days. She had warned Mak about it on their way in. He had no objection to a second honeymoon in the Crossroads.

  Her tail lashed out from under her skirt, and she paced restlessly. Her senses picked up on the arriving elves, and she nodded when they came through the door.

  Krisia disappeared and reappeared with three healers and three transporters as well as five mages.

  Lekiadra stood in the centre of the space and smiled. “Shall we get this underway?”

  The elves looked nervous, but a moment later, the brisk air of the mountain had their clothing whipping in the wind.

  Everyone stood and looked around, but Dira was moving and putting folk into position with her clawed hands.
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  She had to ask the elves questions, but her mouth was no longer properly shaped. She looked at her mate.

  Mak stepped in. “Which of you fey specialize in transportation?”

  Two of them put up their hands. Dira put them where they needed to be.

  The others looked startled when she put them inside the circle, including the healers and the spare mage transporter. With Mak next to her, she turned to the elves and the transporter, bending and hooking one claw into the stone.

  “She wants you to anchor your magic to the stone.” Lekiadra smiled.

  The elves lacked grace, but they tethered their magic to the stone, as did the human transporter.

  She chirped to Tobias and he nodded. “We will power it from here.”

  The last of her clothing shredded as she finished her transformation and lifted off, pulling the collection of the inner circle with her. She heard Krisia call out and a tunnel of energy flowed around them, leading up and into the ether.

  They had their entry point and now they were on their way.

  Dira tried not to make any large loops that would dislodge those she hauled after her, but she had an urge to punish the elves for their thoughtless action.

  She stifled the need for revenge and sought her own bloodline. Teebie could have left the Crossroads for earth at any time, but she had remained in place to help those stranded and keep them calm. Dira’s pride almost burst out of her in a fireball, but she needed that energy.

  Her wings pumped and the power trailed behind her, unrolling like the string of a kite, only in this case, the spool was flying and the fixture it was attached to was on the ground.

  Her senses found Teebie burning bright, and with joyful focus, she held onto her niece via her energy and the call of blood to blood.

  * * * *

  Teebie watched the image of the dragon breathing fire, and she felt the tug of her aunt’s presence getting closer.

  “Warren, bring her along to the Meditation Centre. The rescue party is on the way.”