Vowed

by N R Tucker

  Sage narrowed her eyes on Tempe, “Which means?”

  “The punishment for stealing from a dragon is death. Any ruling fae knows this. Heck, any lesser fae knows. I’m not sure how the fool managed it, but he stole something.”

  “What?” Ryan asked.

  “No one asked. It didn’t matter. Old bone or magnificent jewels, the price for stealing from a dragon is the same.”

  Ryan leaned back in the chair, never taking his eyes off his aunt. “Do I know the fae?”

  Tempe shrugged, “Cupressus was a hanger-on in court, but I doubt he befriended any shifters. He was a bit of a snob.”

  *****

  Victoria had been subdued throughout the entire briefing, and she walked back to her quarters, defeated. Fred didn’t like it. Victoria was impulsive and opinionated, never defeated. His rooms were just down the hall, so they walked together.

  “You okay?” Fred leaned on the wall by her door as she provided her palm print. “I’m sorry I couldn’t let you know I was there, but you didn’t need me. I wasn’t any help at all.”

  She lunged at him and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m the one who’s sorry. It’s my fault, all of it. I shouldn’t have asked to go to the bar. I should have realized you were there.”

  “It’s alright.” He finally had her in his arms, and she was scared. Not exactly the emotion he had wished for. At least no one else was in the hallway. Fred held her gently, rubbed her back, and let her cry.

  Chapter 27

  Ryan approached Ralliner’s lair with steady strides. Since he didn’t know where he was going, Tempe had opened a gate for him to a location a mile away from the nest. She had told him to walk down the path into the mountain pass and not into the woods. According to Tempe, the long walk would indicate he wasn’t concerned walking into a matriarch’s stronghold in human form. Well, looks could be deceiving. Ryan concentrated on keeping his breathing as steady as his steps. As he approached the largest cave entrance he’d ever seen, two dragon guards uncoiled.

  One lowered his head to look Ryan in the eye. “Welcome young alpha. Enter in peace. Congregate in peace. Leave in peace… or make the blood price so high your enemies will desire peace. Ralliner awaits you.” Both dragons stepped back, and Ryan walked into the dragon’s lair.

  As he progressed deeper into the cave, a young dragon stood before each fork in front of the tunnel he was not to take. It certainly removed any doubt as to the direction he was to take to find Ralliner. Thirty minutes later the tunnel opened into a large cavern, complete with a river running along the far side. The water came out another tunnel to his left and flowed toward another tunnel on the right. Based on the sound, the tube on the right turned into a waterfall. Since there were no waterfalls in the Northern Realm wastelands, he suspected the waterfall was inside the cave.

  “I have come to fulfill our bargain,” Ryan bowed.

  “And I have prepared for your arrival. Two sketches, drawn by the thief, have been placed on a rock to your left.” Ralliner moved to a sitting position.

  Ryan picked up the drawings, each on some type of leather. One was a sketch of a relatively average looking guy. The other was a sword. He looked over the photos in detail before turning to Ralliner and raising an eyebrow.

  Ralliner grinned. “Lady Tempest must have taught you that expression. The human is the one who currently has the sword. The sword is one of the Five Swords of Virtue. I must have the sword back. It is dangerous if wielded by the wrong person.”

  “Dangerous, how? And what does the phrase ‘the wrong person’ mean?” Ryan looked at the drawing of the sword again but wasn’t sure why he bothered. He had heard of the Five Swords of Virtue but had assumed they were a myth and didn’t pay attention to the details. Ryan would have to rectify his shortsightedness about that and other things. Many tales he had assumed were just stories had turned out to be true of late.

  “Your questions are wise. The Sword of Veracity is a weapon no one should wield.”

  “I assume there’s more to it than a sword that ferrets out the truth.”

  “Indeed, young alpha. Veracity remakes the universe so that the words spoken by its wielder become truth.”

  “It… you’re telling me that the person holding that sword can change everything?”

  “In essence, but there are rules. First, the wielder must know and say the correct incantation to bind the sword to his will. Second, the wielder must state his will out loud, in a specific format, to invoke the magic of the sword. Third, the sword will work for each wielder one time only. It is commonly believed the Sword of Veracity forces all to tell the truth to the wielder.”

  “Well, that’s something,” Ryan shook his head. “How many know the rules?”

  “I suspect many fae know there are three rules, and they may even know what I have told you of the rules themselves, but they may not believe the truth. The three fae to whom the sword was presented to know the incantation to bind the sword, and the words to speak to invoke the magic of the sword to wield it properly.” Ralliner brought her head down to eye level with Ryan. “And no, young alpha, I will not tell you who those fae are.”

  “Fair enough, and I’ve figured out who the wrong person is for myself. Everyone. No one should wield that sword. Who thought creating such a sword was a good idea?”

  Ralliner blew fire over Ryan’s head. “My father. He lost a bet with the five realm lords’ millennia ago. In payment, he crafted a sword for each realm based on a specific virtue, but since he was tricked into losing, he didn’t craft them as each lord expected. I managed to recover all five. One of my foolish clutch mates traded the sword to a ruling fae for a boon. Both have been dealt with.”

  Ryan didn’t ask about the fae or the dragon. Even though it was probably a foolish thing to do, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where are the other four swords?”

  “I will show them to you so that when you hear the song of the fifth sword, you will know it to be the true sword.” Ralliner waved her left wing lightly, and a large boulder disappeared. Four swords were displayed in front of the wall. They appeared to hang in the air, unconnected to wires or the wall. The center of the display was empty, clearly where the missing sword belonged.

  Music slowly circled Ryan. He could feel the song of each sword, different, but with an underlying tone that was the same. He would definitely know it if he found the right sword.

  “The missing sword is Veracity. To the left of where it should be hanging is the Sword of Tenacity, as long as the sword is in the hand of the rightful wielder, all – including the wielder – will place complete confidence in his words. On the far left hangs the Sword of Invincibility. It prevents all harm to the wielder; however, each time the sword saves the wielder from harm, someone close to him dies. On the right, the Sword of Diligence gives the wielder complete focus, but once the wielder releases the sword, he will be in a daze until the next sunrise. Further right, the Sword of Alliance unites any creature in the presence of the rightful wielder, but the effect goes away as soon as the sword is sheathed.” Ralliner flicked his wing again, and the rock reappeared.

  Ryan shook his head. Each sword had a massive downside. The obvious lesson in all this was never trick a dragon. “May I take the two drawings?”

  “They are yours, young alpha, to aid you in your quest. Return both with the sword. A word of warning. If others discover what you are looking for, and why, there will be a host of preternatural interference. Many would like to claim any of the five swords, regardless of what they do or don’t do.”

  Ryan gathered up the images, bowed, and left the presence of the matriarch. He reversed his steps, relieved to see the whelps. At least he wouldn’t make a wrong turn on the way out.

  A short time later, in the sovereign’s conference room, Ryan faced Sage and Tempe, “Dragons don’t share info, do they?”

  Tempe shrugged, “They consider knowledge to be power, why?”

  “One of
Ralliner’s clutch mates stole an item and gave it to a fae. The fae sold it, or traded it, to a human in the Seen.”

  Tempe nodded. “Then her clutch mate, as well as the fae, are dead. Your task, in payment for her help, is to find the stolen item and return it to her. Are you required to return the human to her as well?”

  “No, just the item. Ralliner didn’t seem to think the human was important.”

  “As far as the dragons are concerned, the human didn’t know dragons were involved. It was the clutch mate and ruling fae who broke dragon law.”

  “What was stolen?” Sage ground out the words.

  “A sword.” Ryan leaned back and closed his eyes.

  “One of the five swords Ralliner guards?” Tempe demanded. Ryan nodded, and she said, “Which one?”

  He tossed the picture on the table. Wondering if the drawing was accurate, he waited to see if Tempe would identify it.

  “The Sword of Veracity,” Tempe murmured, her gaze remained on the drawing for a few seconds before she shook her head, “That sword does not do what many believe.”

  “So, I’ve been told.”

  “If anyone finds out about your quest, you will have a huge target on your back, although anyone with any skill will wait for you to find the sword before revealing themselves.”

  “I was told that, too.”

  “Well, I haven’t been told anything. Explain,” Sage demanded. Ryan finished his rundown of the Five Swords of Virtue, and Sage looked over at Tempe in shock, “Why didn’t the realm lords destroy the swords?”

  “Unmaking a magic sword created by a dragon is not within the power of any fae witch. Only a powerful dragon could destroy the swords, and no dragon will willingly destroy such a treasure. The best that can be done is to have the swords hidden and protected from use.”

  Sage leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips. “Could one of us take our dragon form and destroy it?”

  Tempe shook her head. “Two reasons why that’s a bad idea. One, I doubt that we could. In dragon form, we have access to some dragon magic, but we lack the full magic of a dragon. I tested that after I first shifted to a dragon. Second, Ryan is charged with returning the sword to Ralliner. If he doesn’t the dragons will enter the Seen and attack all shifters, just as they would attack a realm if one if one of its subjects broke an agreement.”

  “I thought dragons couldn’t open a gate to the Seen?” Ryan sat up and placed his elbows on the conference table.

  “Most can’t, matriarchs can,” Tempe said.

  “And why didn’t Ralliner attack the Northern Realm after the sword was stolen?” he asked.

  “Why attack when you can have the eldest daughter of the Northern Realm take care of the issue for you?” Sage muttered.

  “An accurate assessment,” Tempe agreed. “I didn’t tell you about Ralliner because it was a Northern Realm issue, and she made it sound as if returning the fae to her would resolve the entire mess. She wanted the thief, and she didn’t want to start a war to get him. I have repeatedly refused to discuss shifter business with Lord Ellwood, and he must have faith that I refuse to discuss Northern Realm business with you.”

  “I didn’t realize what a tightrope you walk there.”

  “It’s why I hate going to the Farseen, too much political maneuvering. Ryan, as a full-blooded shifter you have no restrictions. It is expected that you will share all information with your sovereign.”

  Ryan chuckled, “So that’s why you drag Joey to all those meetings as the Sovereign’s Squire. They expect him to report back, and it gets you out of the middle. And I’ll bet they don’t pull you into court discussions as much because he’s there.”

  Tempe grinned, “It does tend to work in my favor.”

  “Why didn’t Ralliner ask you to track down the sword? Seems like she could have made that part of the bargain with you.” Sage eyed her powerful sister.

  “Starless night! You know how to wield it!” Ryan’s eyes rounded. “You know the incantation to bind the sword to your will, and you know the proper phrasing to reform the universe.”

  Tempe shrugged. “Lord Ellwood, Ridge, and I are capable of wielding Veracity for its true intent. You must make sure none of us touch it. What Ralliner apparently didn’t tell you is that the sword calls to any fae. It’s intoxicating. The desire to use the sword is overwhelming. Ralliner knows better than to allow us access to the sword. I have never shared the knowledge of the sword with anyone, and I doubt Lord Ellwood or Ridge have either. It’s simply too dangerous. The three of us nearly killed each other trying to control the sword. Val and Rayna were the ones who prevented us from using the sword.”

  “So, the Sword of Veracity was given to the Northern Realm.”

  “Yes, The Sword of Alliance was presented to the Central Realm. The Sword of Diligence went to the Eastern Realm, the Sword of Invincibility to the Western Realm, and the Sword of Tenacity to the Southern Realm.” “Tempe smiled wistfully. “Did she show you the other four?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Isn’t their song beautiful?” Tempe’s head moved as if she were humming to herself.

  “Yeah.”

  Tempe shook her head, as if to clear away the cobwebs, and stood up. “Never let me near the sword. From this moment on, do not tell me how your quest is going, even if I ask. If you need help, shifters are your best bet. All fae are drawn to the swords even if they don’t know how to wield them. Wizards of the Seen have the same reaction to the swords as the fae do. I have no clue how vampires or other preternaturals of the Seen will react. Let’s not find out.” With those words, she left the conference room.

  “I wonder what else Ralliner failed to tell me?”

  Sage shrugged, “No clue. Find the sword and take it directly to Ralliner. No side trips. Work no other issues until this is resolved. Let me know if you need my help, but otherwise, we won’t discuss it again. I’ll let the others know you’re working a special project, and they are to provide you whatever you need without question.”

  Ryan left and walked down the hall toward his quarters. His first big solo mission and it was a doozy. It would have been nice to ease into such a big task. Then again, perhaps everything he had already experienced was leading up to this moment.

  “Ryan!” Destin grabbed his arm. “I’ve been calling your name since you turned down this wing. You must have been a thousand miles away.”

  “In another dimension, actually.”

  “Return to the Seen, please. I wanted to go over the new security measures for Victoria.”

  “Get Sam and Fred to look them over. I’ll be out of pocket for a while.”

  Destin’s phone pinged, and he checked the message. “Aha, just got the word. Good luck to you.”

  “Thanks.” Ryan stopped walking. “Hey Destin, can you do some type of facial recognition search on the Internet, using a drawing?”

  “You mean like on TV? Sort of, but it’s not as quick as the crime shows make it seem.”

  “Great. I’ll be in your office in thirty minutes. No one else can be there.”

  “Aha, a covert assignment. You can count on me, sir.” Destin gave a mock salute and walked away. Ryan barked a laugh.

  Thirty minutes later, Ryan entered the small briefing room that had become Destin’s office. He spent so much time in conference calls on sensitive, technical issues that Sage had demanded he take over the space as his office. Not surprisingly, Victoria was in the room, and their discussion was so far over Ryan’s head that he might as well be sitting in a cave. “Sorry to interrupt.”

  “No, we’re just discussing an idea I had,” Victoria smiled. “See you guys later.”

  Destin quickly cleared his desk as she walked out the door. “Got the drawing?”

  Ryan pulled the leather out of his vest pocket and opened it up.

  “Is this a joke?” Destin raised an eyebrow in a Tempesque fashion. A habit most of the family had developed.

  “No. This is deadly serious, why?�
��

  “You want me to do a search for Parker Lee? Why don’t we walk down to the Norm Lab and talk to him?”

  “What?” The Norm Lab was what the shifters called the lab where the normal humans worked.

  Destin pointed to the sketch. “That’s a drawing of Parker Lee. He’s a methodical researcher. Not brilliant, like Victoria, but his results are solid.”

  “Are we that bad at vetting people?” Ryan growled in frustration.

  “What’s he done?”

  “I need to talk to him. Call Parker Lee to the small conference room in the lab. I’ll meet you there.” Ryan turned and walked out the door.

  “Seriously?” Destin said to the closed door.

  Chapter 28

  Ryan walked into the conference room and Destin scowled. Finally, some answers. Ryan hadn’t told him anything, just issued an order and left. His cousin needed to remember that humans didn’t have to follow his orders without explanation, although most did.

  Parker Lee sighed, “I guess this means I’ve lost my job. I liked it here, but I understand.”

  “Huh?” Destin looked over in surprise.

  “You aren’t even going to deny it?” Ryan sat down across from Parker.

  “No need. You’ve obviously found out, or I wouldn’t be here. We don’t call this room the firing room for nothing. Everyone who enters gets fired. Did you think we hadn’t noticed?”

  “First tell me where it is and why you acquired it, then we’ll discuss your future with us.”

  “What are you talking about?” Parker looked confused now.

  “You know what. Where is it?”

  “Where is what? I thought I was here because you found out my idiot brother is a member of the AIB or whatever organization has replaced it. We haven’t spoken in years, but I can see how you would consider me a risk.”

  “Brother?” Destin leaned forward. “Do you have a photo of him?”

  Parker barked a laugh. “No. We were never close, but unless he’s gained a lot of weight, I’m sad to say I probably still look like Clay. Once I reached adulthood, strangers frequently mistook us for twins.”