by Petra Landon
Her words fell into the casual and relaxed ambiance of the airplane like the powerful pin-pricks of a stiletto dripping with poison. Everyone, participants and audience alike, straightened up in their seats as if girding themselves for the upcoming battle. The Guardian’s face remained buried in the newspaper that he held like a shield before him where he sat in solitary splendor although Tasia did note the imperceptible tightening of the hands that gripped his newspaper. She glanced hastily around, feeling the atmosphere ratchet up into dangerous territory. Hawk watched the proceedings with a straight face belied by the unholy mix of amusement, mischief and anticipation in his eyes. The other Shifters merely glanced at Sienna as they awaited her response to the openly voiced challenge from the female Were-Alpha. Tasia glanced at the only person on the plane with the power to bring the burgeoning skirmish to a stop with a single word. The Alpha returned her look blandly, his big body at ease as he lounged back to watch the unfolding bloodbath. Beside him, Duncan watched the tableau with an expression of academic interest.
So, the Alpha has no intention of putting a stop to this. His way, I suppose, of a trial by fire for the wizards.
She was beginning to understand the Shifters and their Alpha – it was a slow process but she was finally starting to make some headway. The First Wizard had insisted on including the wizards on this mission. And the Alpha was damned if he’d interfere with his Shifters having some harmless fun at the wizards’ expense. To top it all, he probably believed that the wizards had it coming to them in spades, especially after the incident last week. Tasia couldn’t really blame him for that. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a kinship with Sienna, the wizard being relentlessly grilled. Elisabetta had a sharp tongue and a way of getting her deceptive digs in while maintaining an attitude of being above the fray.
“Neither, I’m afraid” Sienna responded graciously with remarkable self-composure. “I have no ties to wizard administration and hence, neither the power to influence them nor the inclination to protect the status quo.”
“You’re the child of two famous Guardians, the only ones the wizards entrust with safeguarding their kind. Do you seriously expect us to believe that you have no influence with the Guardian Council?” this time it was Stefan Simeonov who led the counter-attack.
“Attempting to influence the GCW on anything is akin to trying to douse a blazing wildfire with a small bucket of water” Jason LaRue spoke up finally as he fastidiously set aside the newspaper that had so riveted him. “Even our First Wizard struggles to control the Council” this was said lightly.
“Aah, so it is true” Duncan remarked comfortably, joining the conversation. “There have been widespread whispers of the First Wizard’s, shall we say, frustration with the GCW.”
“I’m part of the younger generation of Guardians” Jason LaRue said candidly with an easy smile. “I was recruited at a time when the office of First Wizard had already been established for over a decade. Some of the older Guardians remember a time when we had no one to answer to and were only accountable to our fellow Guardians.”
“Will your fellow Guardians hold their comrade accountable for his actions in this city?” Owen O’Brien interjected, meeting the Guardian’s gaze directly.
“The Council will initiate an investigation with the assistance of the local wizard authorities here before they decide on a punishment. If he’s proven to have committed any crimes, he will certainly be held accountable.”
“He did commit a crime” Luis Beltran countered suavely. “I was the one who walked out of the Registry with an unconscious Tasia that night.”
Sienna couldn’t help but direct a sympathetic glance at the other wizard. Tasia, to whom this piece of news came as a surprise, turned her attention to the suave Were-Alpha. Luis Beltran was a man of few words who always followed his Alpha’s lead. His enigmatic stance on most topics tended to leave his opponents nonplussed and unsure of where he stood. Tasia had also noted that the Alpha seemed to favor Luis when it came to Shifter business in general. Perhaps the Alpha felt an affinity to the laconic Were-Alpha, she surmised.
“I believe you” Jason was blunt. “But the Guardians are not going to punish him for kidnapping Tasia Armstrong. The entire Chosen world is aware that he has been punished already for that particular transgression” his eyes flashed towards the Alpha, who watched the discussion silently, seemingly without any inclination to participate in it. “It’s the other crimes he is accused of that bear investigation.”
“There must be anger in the Guardian ranks for what the Alpha dared to do to your friend?” Elisabetta questioned silkily.
“I’m sure there is” the Guardian acknowledged easily. “But there’s also a quiet understanding of what drove the Alpha to it. Someone he considered vulnerable had been threatened on his watch. He went to the aid of a Chosen in need, just like we Guardians have done with the wizards for centuries. It is a great responsibility that Guardians understand only too well.”
“You speak well, Guardian” the Alpha had finally entered the fray. “But I would like to make one thing clear.”
“Of course” Jason invited politely.
“I didn’t go to her aid because she was vulnerable. We Shifters have never been in the business of public service. We leave that stuff to you Guardians. The only reason that I thrashed that Guardian for laying hands on her was because she’s Pack.”
At the Alpha’s declaration, Sienna shifted imperceptively in her seat. Observing the anticipation and muted excitement on the wizard’s face, Tasia had the impression that the Alpha’s response had revealed something of great interest to Sienna. A sudden suspicion assailed her that Sienna and the Guardian were working together, circling around the Shifters in a precisely choreographed dance while simultaneously keeping them at arm’s length as they jousted. But what were these two wizards after, she mused thoughtfully.
“You consider her Pack!” Sienna blurted out softly, the interjection nevertheless successful in drawing the Alpha’s attention away from the Guardian. “But you’re a wizard, aren’t you, Tasia?”
“Yes” Tasia acknowledged.
“How did you come to be part of a Shifter Pack?” Sienna inquired candidly, her charm somehow managing to take the sting away from the rather personal question.
Well aware that she was over her head in this subtle game of power between Shifter and wizard, Tasia decided wisely to refrain from dipping her feet in the murky waters. Instead, she glanced at the Alpha, openly leaving it up to him to answer Sienna’s query. Perfectly aware that the two wizards were playing to a game plan, Raoul couldn’t help but silently applaud their success. So, this is what they had been after, he mused. The wizards wanted to know how the witchling had been accepted into their midst by the notoriously insular Shifters. The only question here was whether their quest was driven by mere curiosity or something more sinister. Coming on the heels of Sienna’s reaction to Tasia last night, it put him on his guard. It also looked like the witchling was not unaware of the silent undercurrents in the room, Raoul reflected with amusement. It had become clear to him for some time now that under her quiet manner lay a shrewd brain.
“I offered her Pack protection in return for a favor she did for one of my Shifters” he answered succinctly, his brevity a dare to Sienna to dig deeper into the incident.
“Well, from what I hear, you’ve certainly taken better care of her than the wizard authorities in this city have of her fellow wizards” Sienna acknowledged candidly. “Don’t you agree, Jason?” she appealed to the Guardian seated across the aisle from Duncan and the Alpha.
It was the Alpha’s turn to be taken aback by the blunt compliment. What were these two playing at, he wondered anew.
“Absolutely” Jason agreed with alacrity, his voice sincere. “No matter what your motivations” he looked directly at the Alpha. “The fact remains that you’ve taken better care of a wizard than the Guardians or local wizard authorities whose very job it is to do so.”
He turned to Tasia, the brown eyes sincere.
“For that, I apologize to you.”
Tasia murmured a polite acknowledgement, her mind busy grappling with this unexpected turn of events. She chanced a fleeting glance at the Alpha. Though he wore his usual cloak of impassiveness, she rather thought that he was as astounded as her. Duncan studied the Guardian with an air of curiosity, as if puzzled by the young man.
“Boss” the same young Shifter co-pilot from their flight to New York interrupted them, directing his remarks to the Alpha. “We’re ready to go.”
“All right” the Alpha acknowledged. “Belt yourselves in, everyone. We’re ready for take-off.
As Tasia fastened her seat belt, she could hear Duncan invite Jason LaRue to join the Alpha and him. A few minutes later, they were in the air and on their way. The view from the window was spectacular. The Golden Gate Bridge lived up to its name in the early morning sun while specks of sailboats in the bay flashed brightly down below.
“I hope that your experience hasn’t soured you on all wizards” Sienna said softly. “I’ve heard that the local wizard bureaucracies can be absolute nightmares to work with, but we’re not all that bad when you get to know us.”
Tasia recalled what Sienna had said in response to Elisabetta.
“You have no ties to wizard administration?” Tasia inquired curiously.
“Not anymore.”
“Did you grow up outside the community?”
“Oh, I grew up very much in the community. But I chose to follow a different path after high school.”
“Are the wizards okay with letting someone of your abilities walk away from your heritage?” Hawk chimed in.
“My abilities?”
“Given who your parents were, you must possess plenty of power” Hawk responded, his voice even.
“Sienna is pretty close to off the charts” Jason LaRue stood in the aisle with a bottle of water in his hand. “I encouraged her to join the Guardians but she chose a different path.” He took a gulp from the bottle. “It is our loss. We lost out on a great Guardian.”
Tasia glanced at Sienna who was staring at the Guardian with a surprised expression on her pretty face. Fernando, the young co-pilot, chose that moment to bustle about as he set out steaming trays of food on the sideboard. As the hungry Shifters moved to the breakfast spread, the Guardian leant down to whisper something into Sienna’s ear. The Alpha strode over to them.
“Please help yourselves” he invited the two wizards, gesturing at the sideboard loaded with food.
Hawk let out a soft chuckle once the two wizards had moved away. Tasia turned to him only to catch his mischievous grin.
“What?” she was glad to see the smile back on his face.
“Take a wild guess at what the male Spell Caster just whispered to the female” he said wickedly. “Go on, take a stab at it” he added encouragingly.
“Hawk” the Alpha said, a quiet warning in his voice although Tasia rather suspected that he was secretly amused himself.
“Oh come on, Alph. It’s not really our fault if they forget that we can hear them” Hawk retorted irrepressibly.
“That Guardian is no fool, Hawk. Underestimate him at your own peril” the Alpha warned in response although he didn’t move away, back to his own seat beside Duncan. Instead he turned an inquiring gold-colored gaze on them. Uncomfortable as always with the Alpha’s attention, Tasia focused on Hawk, determined to ignore the overwhelming presence beside them.
“I don’t know, Hawk.”
“He reminded Sienna of Shifter traditions that pertain to food and courtship rituals. I hope she has a better memory than a certain wizard we both know” he teased.
“Oh my God, Hawk” Tasia was scarlet with embarrassment. “I’m never going to make that mistake again.”
“Really” Hawk drawled out, clearly unconvinced. “We’ll see about that, Tasia. Something tells me that you’re never going to make a good Shifter” he said laughingly. “Not that you need to be one” he added hastily. “You should never change, Tasia. You’re fine just as you are.”
Torn between embarrassment at being reminded of her gaffe and pleasure at Hawk’s simply stated compliment, Tasia was caught unawares when the Alpha chimed in.
“Hawk’s right” he remarked, the gold eyes intent on her. “You should never feel compelled to change yourself or act in any way that goes against your beliefs. The Pack will learn to adapt. Eventually” the last was added as an afterthought.
Huh, the Pack will never adapt to me – we both know that. Is this about his over the top reaction to my spilling ‘Shifter state secrets’ to Caro? Because otherwise, I’m certainly missing something here.
Tasia studied the Alpha, her eyes reflecting her uncertainty and confusion at his words.
Hmm, perhaps this is his way of reiterating that he means this new association between us to be different from the last one.
“A word of warning for you” the Alpha said quietly. “The Chicago Pack is led by an Alpha who has a history with us. Not a good history at that. He’ll be circling us, hoping to find a weak link. He might just conclude that you’re it, simply because you’re not a Shifter. Hawk will stay with you at all times. On your part, always stay aware of your surroundings and make sure that you’re never separated from the rest of the party. Okay?”
Great, more hostile Shifters. But at least he’s warned me. Now I can watch out for myself.
“Yes.”
“Good. Don’t stay hungry. Fernando made sure to stock some meat-less options for you” he said as an aside before he walked away.
“Hmm” Hawk remarked softly. “Alph is softening towards you. I told you that he’d come around, Tasia.”
Yeah, I could do without him coming around as Hawk puts it. This is the stuff that makes me nervous. The normal Alpha I can learn to handle eventually – whatever passes as normal for him, that is. This one keeps me off balance, leaving me on edge. It’s like perpetually waiting for the next shoe to drop.
After breakfast, the Alpha gathered everyone around him before inviting Jason LaRue to give them a rundown on the various wizard investigations into Lady Bethesda over the years. Guardian LaRue gave a brief summary of the early reports from wizards claiming to have seen her, the eventual investigation into her disappearance, the assistance offered by Faoladh and the current state of the investigation. Tasia, already entrusted with this information and more, observed the reactions of the others as they assimilated the information and questioned the Guardian on the details. This was an unlikely alliance – wizards and Shifters. Led by an Alpha notorious for his dislike of wizards. And one put together to investigate a wizard who had disappeared and been presumed dead almost a quarter century before. Tasia could sense the uneasiness of this new co-operation on both sides. It was clear that this shaky alliance was a reluctant one - formed by the command, request and wishes of their individual CoC Representatives, the First Wizard and Faoladh. Tasia had the impression that the two parties would attempt to keep this new partnership going, primarily so as to not let their respective representatives down. As long as no serious differences threatened them, the tenuous alliance would be held together by sheer grit and determination on both sides. It didn’t necessarily mean that either party trusted the other or would be completely honest with the other – it was strictly ‘need to know’ on both sides.
Tasia noted the complete absence of allegations of child murder when it came to Lady Bethesda, the very allegations that had led to her being cornered in the Chicago Registry by a contingent of ten Guardians. Jason LaRue was careful to stay away from that particular topic entirely. The Alpha had trusted her with this information. She doubted that any of the other Shifters apart from Duncan and possibly Hawk was aware of it.
“You said some things the last time we met in this room – about why you thought that it was time to go our separate ways. Before we begin a new partnership, I’d like to set the record straight. You are wro
ng, Tasia Armstrong. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong. I hope that you come to see that one day.”
The Alpha’s blunt and somewhat cryptic statement to her after they had agreed to a new association flashed through Tasia’s mind. That day, she’d been in a hurry to get out of there and chew on her momentous decision in private. And she had wanted no rehashing of their earlier conversation; partly because she was embarrassed by her loss of control before him and mostly, because what had come tumbling out of her during that encounter had been her perception of the truth. The truth as she still saw it, nothing had changed for her. She trusted him implicitly to live up to their bargain – if anyone threatened her, he’d be there to stand before her like a bulwark. But apart from that, she was not one of his Shifters and he would never see her as one of them. So Tasia hadn’t given his words much thought. Now she had a sudden inkling of what he’d meant that day. Yes, he had occasionally given her a hard time. Gone out of his way to remind her that she was an outsider - that he’d never consider her Pack even though it had been he who had extended the offer of Pack protection to her. In a way, he’d always reminded her that she was not one of them and was never likely to be. Yet he had also trusted her with information not shared with his Shifters, in return for her assistance. Hopefully they’d both walked away with some lessons learnt from their last stab at working together. Perhaps this time, it would be different. She would make an attempt to take him at face value this time around, Tasia determined. For there was one thing that he was absolutely right about. She was in desperate need of allies and he was the only powerful one to offer his assistance.
“I received some news last night that I believe brings some urgency to our mission” the Alpha announced, successfully drawing Tasia’s wandering attention. “We now have conclusive evidence that Lady Bethesda was alive after the explosion in Chicago.”
