by Alanea Alder
Aiden turned to Kendrick. "Is what he said true? Did you cast a spell on him before he could issue the challenge?"
Kendrick gave a one shoulder shrug. "I heard him boasting what he would do, and I decided to be proactive."
Aiden scratched his ear. "What'd you do to him?"
Loud clucking noises erupted from Javen. Ellie fought hard to keep a straight face, as did Rheia and Anne. Meryn, however, didn't seem to care. She laughed loudly and openly.
Aiden bent his head down and rubbed his forehead. To anyone else, he looked annoyed, but Ellie could see the grin he was trying to hide. When he looked up, he was back to scowling. "I see no harm done here. When Javen is able to speak again, he can come to me to issue the challenge."
Javen paled and squawked. Jahin swallowed hard. "But you are the Commander."
"And?"
"The edict said unit warriors."
"Do we have to have this conversation again?" Aiden asked sarcastically.
Jahin pulled on Javen's arm. "Our father will hear of this!" he threatened.
"Oh dear, I don't feel well," Meryn placed a hand on her forehead dramatically. She opened her mouth wide and coughed without bothering to cover her face.
"Oh gods, look at her mouth," Jahin gasped. "Stay back!" he screeched.
Meryn coughed in their direction, and they both ran. She turned to them and gave her Spock sign. "Boo-ya! That's how you get rid of douchebags!"
Ryuu shook his head. "No, denka."
Meryn became thoughtful. "That didn't work huh?" Even the twins were shaking their heads. "Damn," she cussed.
"Come on, baby, you need to eat something other than those damn jelly beans," Aiden said, wrapping an arm around Meryn.
"You were so hot when you were putting that jerk in his place." Meryn rubbed her face against Aiden's torso.
His face brightened, the incident with the jellybeans clearly forgotten. "Really?"
"Yup. I love it when you get all snarly."
Aiden scooped up his tiny mate and swaggered toward the tunnel. "Maybe I can find someone else to get snarly at. Do you think Colton is awake?" Ellie heard him ask as they walked away. Ryuu gave them a half bow and followed his charge.
Ellie turned to Rheia. "Did you want to warn your mate?"
Rheia shook her head. "Torturing each other is the foundation of their relationship. Who am I to ruin a good thing?"
Grant watched them walk away. "I'm not really feeling like breakfast on Level One today." He looked down at her. "Want to grab something from the vendors?"
Ellie giggled. "Are you sure? It's bound to be entertaining."
He shook his head. "Colton will pull me into it."
Kendrick nuzzled his mate's neck. "How about you?"
Anne shrugged. "It's up to you. Breakfast at home has been so boring without Meryn."
Kendrick chuckled. "That is true." He turned to Ellie and Rheia. "How about we grab something up here then head to the lab? I have a feeling Grant is right; if we go down, we'll get pulled into Meryn's shenanigans, and the sooner we can get to the lab the better." He jerked his thumb toward the twins. "I promised them I would show them how some of the human testing equipment worked."
Anne thought about it. "You're probably right, but we have to eat lunch with them."
Kendrick's smile turned downright evil. "I wouldn't miss lunch for anything in the world."
Anne's eyes narrowed. "Meryn's shenanigans, my foot. What are you up to?"
Kendrick's eyes widened. "Who me?"
Ellie smiled. "Lycaonia must be an exciting place to live with those two." She looked up at her mate. "Lead the way, looks like we're eating up here." She turned to Kendrick. "I'm eager to see what you think of the samples." Kendrick raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Grant reached down and grabbed her hand. He led them between the stalls until they came across one that looked slightly shabbier than the rest. It was tucked off to one side catty-cornered so it couldn't be seen right away from the eating area.
"Stella, you open?" he called out.
"Of course, I am open. What else would I be doing?" a cranky voice answered.
Grant steered them to the small table and benches in front of the stall. Moments later, an older woman stepped out from her cart and looked at the crowd in front of her booth. "Well now, who are all these folks?" She wiped her hands on her apron.
"Stella, this is my mate, Dr. Eleanor Kimball." He pointed to Rheia and Anne. "These two are Dr. Rheia Albright, Nurse Anne Ashwood, and her mate, Kendrick Ashwood. Prince Magnus called them in to help with the children." He nodded to the twins. "And you know the twins."
"Aye, I do. Twin troublemakers the pair of 'em." She eyed the women. "Medical folk, huh? I don't know much about medicine, but I do know food. Iffn' you need any broth or soup for the wee ones, just let me know. I can whip up a mean batch of chicken stock."
Ellie was entranced at the cadence of the woman's speech. "You're not from here, are you?" she asked.
Stella snorted. "No, I'm not. Came here with me mate a century or two ago when humans began to settle out here. Before that, we lived in Scotland, but it got to be too crowded with so many older bloodlines in one place." She looked them over. "Now, what can I get you for breakfast?"
Ellie looked at Grant; she had no idea what was offered here and didn't want to offend by asking for the wrong thing. Stella patted her on the shoulder. "Poor thing, I won't bite. I may bark a lot, but it's mostly harmless."
"She makes the best breakfast burritos I've ever had," Grant said, licking his lips.
"Ohhh, that sounds wonderful! May I have one of those?" Ellie asked.
Rheia nodded with Anne and Kendrick. "We'll take some as well."
"Porridge for us, please!" Nigel pleaded.
Stella chuckled. "Of course. Wee bairns like you need your sustenance. You be still growin'."
Neil blushed. "We're not children," he muttered softly.
Stella patted his cheek. "Aye, ya are."
Kendrick looked over at the twins, and Ellie noticed a sheen in his eyes. "You are both young, and you know it. There is no shame to it. Be proud of what you've accomplished in your short lives. Not just any paranormal can become a unit warrior," he admonished gently.
Both Neil and Nigel bobbed their heads. "We know. It's just hard being the youngest."
Kendrick's look became icy. "Have any of the other warriors been cruel?"
Stella's belly laugh was deep. "Look at you acting like a fierce older brother." She eyed Kendrick when his cheeks turned pink. "Aye, they look like you, too. Always did have a soft spot for redheads." She winked. "Be back with breakfast."
"They do look like Keelan," Anne said softly.
"Who is Keelan?" Ellie asked.
Kendrick turned to her. "My younger brother. He is also an unit warrior with the Alpha Unit."
"I heard he isn't well. Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
Anne shook her head. "It's more magical in nature I'm afraid."
"Meryn calls us her Baby Keelans," Neil volunteered.
Kendrick's mouth twitched. "That woman never ceases to surprise me, and that is saying something." He ruffled Nigel's hair playfully. "These two would follow me around Storm Keep like ducklings. I was always afraid I'd turn too quickly and step on them."
Nigel soaked up the attention. It was clear to see the twins hero-worshiped Kendrick. "Thanks to you, we passed our warrior exams."
Kendrick shrugged. "You would have passed without my help; you're both very smart." Neil's chest puffed out, and he elbowed his twin.
Ellie smiled at Neil. "I wanted to thank you for all you've done to help the children. From making our stones to creating the hospital, I know it couldn't have been easy."
Both witches ducked their heads at her praise. "We just did what we could," Nigel responded.
"What stones?" Kendrick asked.
Ellie fished hers out and passed it to him. "These allow us to float up and dow
n the tunnel without having to wait for an escort."
Kendrick's eyebrows rose, and he turned to the twins. "You two did this?"
They nodded. "The shifter warriors have a hard time getting around the city so we wanted to help. They are draining to make though," Neil answered.
"Very impressive, boys. Could you show me how to create these later? I would like to make some for Anne, Rheia, Colton, and Aiden."
Their eyes rounded. "Us show you something?" Nigel whispered.
Kendrick passed the stone back to Ellie. "Contrary to rumors, I don't know everything about magic...yet." He winked.
"We could show you after we visit the lab," Neil suggested.
Kendrick nodded. "Sounds good."
After an extremely satisfying breakfast, they made their way back down to Level One and headed to the lab. To her surprise, Kendrick used his hand to open the door. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I had Broderick add me last night."
Ellie pulled out the samples she had of Clara's blood and stepped back as Rheia slowly began going through the samples. Ellie waited patiently for her to examine them all. Ellie had seen something on the slides she couldn't explain. Every time she returned for a second or even third look, she felt like she was trying to convince herself something was there.
Chewing on her thumb, she watched Rheia for any type of reaction. When the other doctor started to frown, Ellie felt a surge of excitement. Rheia turned to Kendrick. "Can you take a look?" she asked.
Kendrick looked between her and Ellie. Quietly, he made his way to the stool Rheia had been using. Being tall enough to simply look down into the eyepiece, he pushed it aside. He looked for a solid minute, then raised his head. "Nigel, Neil come here." The twins practically snapped to attention and rushed to his side.
"Nigel stand on my left, Neil on my right. Place your dominant hand on my arm and release your power slowly." Kendrick waited until the twins had placed a hand on either arm before peering into the microscope once more.
This time, he only needed a few seconds before he stepped back, cursing furiously under his breath. The twins moved as the older witch began to pace the floor between them. He stopped suddenly and spun on his heel to look at her. "You knew?"
Ellie shook her head. "I guessed. Before I heard you talking about shadows last night, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, the virus wasn't behaving normally. It's why I wanted Rheia, then you to come down and look. I wasn't sure of what I was seeing."
Grant wrapped and arm around her waist. "What? What did you see?"
Kendrick growled fierce enough to make any shifter proud. He waved his hand, and the entire room seemed to shrink for a moment before her ears popped. He had soundproofed the room. "There's magic in the virus. It's so faint, barely a glimmer, but it's there. Even I almost missed it. If I hadn't had the twins running equal amounts of earth magic through me to magnify my own gift, I might have second-guessed my eyes as well." The look he gave Ellie was one of admiration. "Very well done, doctor."
Anne gasped and collapsed into an empty chair. "It was deliberate?"
Ellie clutched at her chest. "Gods why?"
Grant snarled. "When I find out who did this, I will rip out their throat!"
Kendrick held up his hand. "We don't know for sure, so let's remain calm." He turned to the twins. "I will need your help." He reached for his pouch and began pulling out equipment.
Ellie stared. "How are you doing that?" He had pulled a freaking table out of his pouch!
Kendrick held up his bag. "This is called the Bag of Wishes; it holds whatever I need, no matter the size, and it never fills."
It didn't take long for Kendrick to set up his own testing station, the twins helping him every step of the way. When they were done, they stepped back, and Kendrick began to explain.
"The reason I needed a boost of your magic is because you're both extremely powerful earth magic users, and I am of fire. Earth magic tends to deal more with living things. Your magic is like mine in that it's more elemental and less about learning arcane spells. The virus itself is organic, but the magic in it is not. That's what we are testing for." He held up an orange-red stone plate that looked like it had been sliced out of a huge rock and polished. "This is carnelian, a fire stone." He held up another plate; this one was a milky green color. "Jade, earth stone." He put those two down and picked up three more. One was a brilliant yellow, the second a royal blue, and the last one was clear as glass. "Citrine for air, lapis lazuli for water, and quartz crystal is neutral." The twins nodded as their hands reached out. Kendrick put the plates down and stepped between them and the twins. "You'll get to play with them in a moment; I'll need your power to charge them." He pointed to the table. "The first test will take the longest, five to seven days, but it will identify which element of magic is in the virus, and from there we can test even further."
"What good will that do?" Grant asked.
Kendrick frowned. "I'm not sure how to explain this to a non-magic user." He tapped the table as he thought. "If you were given three substances to blow a hole in a wall, but they appeared to be identical and you had only one shot to complete your mission, how would you know which one to use?"
Grant thought about it a moment. "I'd smell them to see which one held any trace of explosives."
"Right. Would you try burning them?"
"No, that might ignite the material." Grant stopped. "I get it. In trying to treat the virus without knowing what the magic is, you could make it worse."
Kendrick nodded. "Exactly. If we identify which element we're dealing with, I'll know which tests are safe to use."
Ellie chewed on her lip. "What do we do in the meantime?"
Kendrick looked at her, Rheia, and Anne. "You keep the children alive. Use whatever you know of human medicine and treat the sickness. I'll worry about the magic."
"What do we tell the others?" Rheia asked.
"Leave that to me. Once everyone is together at lunch, I'll soundproof the room and let everyone know." He pinned the twins with a meaningful stare. "You cannot say anything to anyone, including your unit leaders. This cannot leave the room."
Nigel and Neil nodded. "We don't blab."
Kendrick's fierce glare softened. "Didn't think you did. Also, I'm going to get Aiden to pull rank and get you both assigned as my assistants. I'm going to need your magic to keep the plates charged."
The twins beamed. "Yes!" The bumped forearms then turned back to Kendrick. "We won't let you down," they promised.
Grant chuckled. "Poor Travis and Leif were looking forward to training you two."
Nigel grinned. "They can have us after this virus is taken care of."
Neil frowned. "If Meryn doesn't need us first."
Nigel nodded. "Yeah, unless Meryn needs us."
Kendrick looked from one twin to the other. "Why Meryn?"
Neil straightened, looking pleased. "She adopted us. We're her brothers now," he announced proudly.
Ellie expected Kendrick to smile at the news, but instead, he frowned. "What?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing, well, nothing I can say for sure. It just means I will have to keep a closer eye on our Menace."
"Ryuu does that," Neil commented.
Kendrick's expression eased. "Very true, young Morninglory. Very true. All right brats, let's get these plates charged."
Nigel and Neil stepped forward eagerly, their faces alight with excitement. The moment they each touched a plate, it blazed with light. Ellie, Anne, and Rheia had to turn away while Grant shielded his eyes. When the plates dimmed to a soft glow, Kendrick was blinking repeatedly. "Well done, boys."
Ellie shook her head to clear away the floating circular images that filled her vision.
Grant steered Ellie, Rheia, and Anne toward the door. "I'm taking the ladies for tea. Did you need us for this?"
Kendrick waved them off. "No, we'll be done here soon."
"Good, we have a one last unit project to do with Aiden
before we're assigned to you," Nigel added.
Kendrick examined the plates, smiling. "That's fair. But after that, you're to report to me."
"Yes, sir!" they practically shouted.
Grant led them out of the lab and let the door close behind them. He looked down at Ellie. "Don't let him accidentally zap you or anything if I'm not with you in the lab."
Ellie smiled at her mate. "I'm sure he wouldn't mean it."
Anne nodded. "He wouldn't," she affirmed.
Rheia patted her belly. "Tea and some of that Magic Pudding Meryn keeps raving about sounds good about now."
The sound of something breaking followed by the twins apologizing effusively had them hurrying away from the door. "Good idea," Ellie agreed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"My eyes are still blurry from those plates," Ellie complained as she sat down. She breathed in the calming scent of the brewing tea as her vision slowly cleared.
"I'm glad you could join us," Elizabeth said smiling. "Meryn and I were just discussing her maternal instincts."
"As in, I don't have any," Meryn added.
Ellie sat back as Sebastian poured her a cup of Earl Grey. She turned to the small human. "Of course you do, Meryn. And even though you didn't know me very well, you defended me against the tunnel escort. I think you have a nurturing and protective nature."
Meryn shook her head. "I never had a mom, so I have no idea what to do."
Elizabeth raised her teacup. "I never had a mother either, Meryn," she reminded her.
Meryn gave her friend a sour expression. "Yeah, after visiting here, I'm calling bullshit on that. You had Sebastian, who is actually better than any mom I ever saw growing up. He's like Super Mom."
Sebastian stopped in his tracks at the head of the table, teapot in hand. His eyes filled as he looked down at Elizabeth. The love he had for his charge was clear to see. He turned to Meryn. "That has to be one of the most wonderful things anyone has ever said about me."
Ellie wondered about Meryn's childhood. If, to her, all grandmothers were evil and she never had a mom, who did she have growing up?