by Alanea Alder
Kendrick nodded while smiling. "You're absolutely right, I'm just a poor scribe from the Lower City."
Daggart smirked at Kendrick's admission.
"However, Lady Fairfax isn't, and neither are many of her other highborn friends, or many of the Lycaonian citizens I spoke with today." Kendrick kept walking until he was behind the women's chairs. "You see, they trust Meryn implicitly. Because, when it mattered, this pregnant human female took up arms and protected not only her mate's unit warriors, but also the people of the city. Unlike certain elders who show up after the fact, pointing fingers."
Daggart raised a hand to interrupt, but Kendrick kept going, ignoring him.
"They love her so much, in fact, the editor of the Lycaonian Herald--an old friend of mine, by the way--will be doing a multi-page article about Meryn and how she is changing the lives of the Lycaonian people for the better. The paper will, of course, be distributed to the other three pillar cities, where interest in Meryn's technology programs is growing every day."
Brion spoke up. "What about the charges for having a unit leader acting as Elder to gain even more influence?"
Kendrick stopped mid-step and faced the fae. "Are they charges now?"
Brion flushed. "I misspoke. We have concerns regarding this matter."
Kendrick shrugged lazily. Anne had to turn her head. She was starting to understand his body language. Whenever Kendrick made it look like he couldn't care less, that was when he was the most agitated.
"This sort of thing happens from time to time doesn't it? Especially with hereditary seats. Caiden has done such an amazing job performing both roles over the past thirty years that no one noticed until very recently that he had been doing both."
Elizabeth let a snicker escape and coughed as if she was trying to cover up her slip. But Anne was learning; Elizabeth never did anything without reason. The woman wanted to let the men know that their concern was a laughable matter.
Daggart glared at Kendrick, his affable personality fading. "That doesn't change the fact that Unit Commander, Aiden McKenzie not only left the city while it was under attack, but also took valuable units with him."
Kendrick held up a hand to Aiden who had stepped forward growling. Aiden nodded and stepped back glaring at Daggart. Kendrick looked at the witch representative. "That is very true, but it isn't as if he left the city defenseless. All I heard today from the people was how safe they felt after seeing so many of their neighbors step up during the battle as inactive or retired warriors. To quote one shopkeeper: 'It's as if there is a warrior on every corner keeping us safe.' She didn't seem upset at all."
Kendrick walked until he was behind Amelia's chair. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let us not forget that the person they went to save is right in front of you. And that by leaving the city and saving her life, the Alpha Unit not only learned more about the enemy's intentions, but was able to destroy one of their facilities." Kendrick's hard glare pinned the committee members to their chairs. Some looked away, embarrassed. They had forgotten that Amelia was the one who'd been taken.
Adalwin broke the ensuing silence. "What about the damages?" he asked weakly.
Kendrick smiled. "I thought you'd never ask." He looked over at Oron who nodded at him from where he stood against the wall with Sascha. "Queen Aleksandra herself has gifted the city of Lycaonia with the services of her very best fae craftsmen to clean up and rebuild the square as a personal gift to Meryn."
Daggart gasped. "Impossible! It takes weeks to get an audience with the queen!"
Oron stepped forward, grinning. "Not when you're close to the throne." He turned to Meryn. "The queen is very excited to see another female in a position of authority, and she says she can't wait for you to visit."
Daggart's jaw dropped as Meryn gave Oron a thumbs up sign.
Elizabeth turned to the men. "Gentlemen, did you have any other concerns for us to address?" she asked sweetly.
Daggart was about to respond when he was interrupted by a faint buzzing sound; everyone looked around to try and locate the source of the noise. Ruefully, Aiden pulled his phone from his pocket. "Aiden here. What? How many? Position? They what? Roger that. I'll call back with orders."
The men closest to Aiden who had heard both sides of the conversation looked sick.
Daggart looked at Aiden. "Well?"
"Reapers and ferals have taken a large refugee group coming from Jefferson hostage just south of here. They are demanding that we lower the perimeter in exchange for the refugees' lives."
Everyone began talking at once. Colton brought two fingers up and whistled sharply. Aiden smiled at him. "Thank you." He looked over at Kendrick then at his father. "Suggestions?"
Anne watched as Byron glanced up at Kendrick and flicked his eyes over to Meryn. Kendrick nodded and went to stand behind Meryn. "What do you think we should do, Meryn?"
Meryn looked over at Elizabeth who nodded. Anne smiled; Meryn was getting the okay from her Yoda to talk.
"How many ferals?" Meryn asked.
Edmond snorted. "Shouldn't you be asking how many hostages?"
Meryn glared at him "No. I know what I meant to ask."
Daggart stood. "This is preposterous! This woman has no right to be included on important decisions."
Aiden stared down at the officious man. "She has more of a right than you do."
As arguments broke out, Anne could see Kendrick's patience running out. He simply held up his hand and released a spell causing everyone to freeze. It was instantly quiet. He opened his hand and everyone was able to move again. "Let me try to clear this matter up for you gentlemen once and for all. Then we can concentrate on the hostages that need us." He moved to the middle of the row.
"Amelia represents a normal woman, she's warm, caring and intelligent. All wonderful qualities, and as much as I love my godsdaughter, because of these qualities, I would never put her in the position to make such a hard decision. Meryn on the other hand, is...different. She thinks the way I do, the way a trained leader would, and I trust her implicitly to make hard choices because of this."
Adalwin looked confused. "How can you possibly show us that?"
Kendrick held up a finger. "Amelia, Meryn, I am going to describe an emergency situation. You will be able to ask me one question before deciding on your course of action; however, once you hear my answer, you must reply immediately." Both women nodded.
"You are the captain of a ship that is sinking. For argument sake, let's just say that there is only one way to save the ship. You have to seal off the lower levels. However, there are fifty people down there who, no matter what you do, won't be able to be make it to the upper levels in time to be saved. What is your question? Amelia?"
Amelia swallowed hard. "How many children are there?"
"Twenty-five. Half of the trapped passengers are children. Your answer?" Kendrick asked sharply.
Amelia flinched. "I'd try to save them."
Kendrick looked at the men around the room; nearly all of them were nodding in agreement. He turned to Meryn. "Your question?"
Meryn shrugged. "How many people are on the boat?"
"Three thousand. Your answer?"
Meryn responded instantly. "I'd seal off the lower decks."
The room was silent. "As you can see gentlemen, Meryn knew what question to ask and chose the best course of action."
Kendrick turned to Aiden. "I believe she asked how many ferals there were."
Aiden nodded. "Epsilon reported anywhere from thirty to fifty ferals and approximately one hundred hostages."
"Are they willing to accept anything else?" Adalwin suggested.
Aiden picked up his phone and dialed. "Hey Santa, can you let the bastards know that we can't lower the perimeter, ask if they would settle for something else in return."
Everyone waited silently as the Epsilon leader communicated with the ferals.
Aiden nodded. "Okay, stand by. I'll call back." He put his phone back in his pocket.
&n
bsp; "Santiago said that the reaper leader is willing to accept our necklaces in exchange."
Rowan stood and inclined his head to Aiden. "Personally, I don't think it would be a loss taking the perimeter down. I have complete faith in our unit warriors, they have protected us for centuries without a perimeter, and I feel that they can continue to do so. But, since we don't know who cast the perimeter, being able to take it down as requested is off the table."
"It looks like the necklaces are our only choice," Réne confirmed.
Rowan shook his head. "Unfortunately, someone has already given them to Kendrick here for study." Réne scowled at Rowan, who ignored him.
Rowan turned to Kendrick. "Well, son, do you think you can give up on your tests to save the lives of our people?"
Anne watched as Kendrick looked at Réne. An odd look appeared on his face and disappeared just as quickly. He shook his head at Rowan's question and turned to Meryn. "Well?"
Meryn looked up at him. "Maybe I am human; maybe I'm too young and too American, but in a situation like this, I refuse to negotiate with terrorists. I would send out every unit we have plus any volunteers to exterminate this threat. If we start giving in to them now, we'll be opening ourselves up for more hostage situations down the road."
Anne looked over at Aiden and Byron who were both already on their cell phones. Aiden was coordinating the units to meet at the Alpha estate, and Byron was calling the older warriors to see if any would volunteer to assist.
Rheia stood and walked over to Anne, a cell phone to her ear as well. "Adam we have a situation where we could be facing a lot of casualties. Bring anything that isn't nailed down to the Alpha estate. Oh, by the way, we have another nurse now." She paused. "I don't want to hear you complaining about not having any supplies after the last battle. I don't care if you have to shit bandages, get out here on the double."
The committee members were staring at Rheia in shock. Rheia didn't even give them a second glance. "Anne, you're with me. We're setting up triage on the front lawn. Normally, I would have everyone sent to the clinic, but we're closer." Rheia left the room yelling for Ryuu. Ryuu appeared and she began giving him a list of hot beverages and blankets she would need to help treat shock victims.
Elizabeth was on the phone with her uncle, asking that he send any spare medical supplies via portal to the Lycaonia clinic, the sooner the better.
Anne watched as Amelia coordinated with Kendrick and Sascha to use her magic to level the ground making it easier to care for the wounded. Meryn was on a handheld walkie-talkie talking with unit warriors. "I miss you, too, Adonis. After this is all over, you have to swing by to meet my new peep, over and out."
Anne blinked. "Who is Adonis? Sounds sexy," she teased. Meryn grinned, and before Anne knew it, Aiden and Kendrick were heading in their direction.
Aiden growled at Meryn and nipped her neck, and Kendrick scowled at her. "Never mind any Adonis." He looked out the window. "I'm going out with the men to try and minimize the number of casualties, but it will be difficult doing this in the dark. I need to be able to see to cast. Unfortunately, my form of light is fire, so unless we want to burn the forest down, I'll be relying on flood lights from the warriors."
Colton clapped him on the back. "Not as easy as you thought, is it?"
Kendrick shook his head. "No, but I'll do whatever I can to keep you all safe."
Colton didn't say anything, just clapped him on the back again, and walked to Aiden.
Anne grabbed his arm. "You have to be safe, too." It was sinking in that the men were about to head out to battle; they could be killed.
Kendrick looked down at her, and she was confused by the frustration in his eyes. Suddenly, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. He kept his lips to her skin and whispered. "I'll be back. You and I have unfinished business."
When he pulled away, she felt as if he'd pulled a piece of her heart out of her chest with him.
"Be careful!" She called after him. He nodded and ran to catch up with the men who were already filing out the door.
Rheia walked up and wrapped her arm around Anne's shoulder. "It doesn't get any easier no matter how many times I do this. It helps to stay busy."
Anne nodded. "Point me where you need me doctor."
Rheia smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."
*****
Anne quickly began to notice that they were receiving more injured than just she and Rheia could handle on their own. When two more shifters showed up with bullet wounds, Anne made the decision to send all critical patients to the clinic.
She ran up to one of the warriors carrying a stretcher. "No. Get him in a vehicle and send him to the clinic."
The man frowned. "But Dr. Bradley said that we were to bring all the patients here."
Anne put her hands on her hips. "That was before we realized how many injured were on the way. This man needs surgery; that cannot happen on the front lawn."
Rheia raced up to them. "She's absolutely right."
Anne looked around the lawn. "Noah!"
The blond turned to them and quickly jogged over. "What do you need?"
"Follow behind me. Get a pen and paper, and tag each patient for transfer that I point to." She turned to Rheia. "You need to call the clinic doctor and tell him to stay there and expect incoming."
Rheia nodded and pulled out her phone. She was giving orders when a new batch arrived in an SUV. She cut the call short as they both ran over. The new arrivals were two children who had a death grip on Sascha. He handled them very gently, one perched on each hip. When he saw Rheia and Anne approaching, he practically sagged in relief. "Thank the Gods! Can you look these two over? I don't think anything is wrong, but they are so little," he fretted, looking with worried glances between the two.
When Rheia reached for the little boy, he turned and buried his face in Sascha's chest. Sascha looked up at Rheia, a frantic look on his face.
"Doc! We need you over here!" another warrior yelled. He was straddling a man's body on a stretcher holding blood-soaked bandages. Rheia immediately ran over to assist.
Anne looked at Sascha. "They seem to be okay. I don't see any broken bones or open wounds. Keep them calm and warm." She turned and ran back over to where the wounded where being laid out in rows.
"How do I do that?" Sascha yelled.
"Blankets and hot chocolate!" she shouted.
Noah caught up to her, and they quickly worked their way through the wounded. Out of the one hundred hostages over thirty of them had been hurt. When they were done prioritizing the care of the seriously wounded, Anne and Noah looked for Rheia.
Rheia's face looked pinched as she worked on a patient too critical for transport. She looked panicked when she called out for items she needed only to realize there was no one to assist. Anne ran forward. "I'm here, keep going."
"Noah! I need you and four warriors to grab blankets, tarps, whatever you can and create a makeshift operating room. We need as much coverage as possible!" Anne yelled.
Noah took off like a bullet. Anne turned her attention back to Rheia and calmly handed her the instruments she needed to remove the deeply lodged bullet. She hardly noticed when the wind stopped blowing her hair in her eyes due to Noah's superb efforts to keep them protected.
Anne ran through the list of steps in her mind and was determined to stay two steps ahead of Rheia, anticipating her every need. She was never so grateful for her mentor's suggestion to volunteer as an ER nurse. In the ER, one needed to know a little bit of everything. It had been equal parts exhilarating and frustrating. She had been determined to learn as much as possible, and it was paying off.
An hour later, the man was stable and most of the patients were wrapped in blankets and ready to be sent to the city.
She was washing her hands for what seemed like the thousandth time that night when Rheia walked over. "You have to be one of the best nurses I have ever seen. Are you sure you aren't psychic?"
Anne smiled and shook her head.
"No. I just hated it in nursing school when a patient suffered because I didn't know something. So I studied everything."
"You are exactly what we need here in Lycaonia. I don't think I could have handled this on my own. You and Noah were invaluable at getting the patients lined up with the correct care. You thought clearly and adapted well. Good job." Rheia nodded at her in admiration, and Anne's breath caught.
"Thank you, Dr. Bradley."
"You're very welcome, nurse." Rheia stretched and rubbed her back. "How do you think Sascha faired with the kids?"
Anne grinned and nodded her head to the edge of the treatment area. Sascha had spread blankets on the ground and sat leaning against his SUV. Both children were sound asleep with their heads in his lap.
Rheia shook her head. "Big softies, every single one of them."
Anne couldn't help but agree. "We wouldn't want them any other way."
"You can say that again!" Rheia exclaimed and looped her arm through Anne's.
They inspected the area together, making sure that everyone who needed treatment had received it.
CHAPTER NINE
Kendrick sat on the front porch steps and watched as people milled around him. The battle had been surprisingly short. When the reapers realized they weren't going to get what they wanted, they turned on the hostages, wounding many and killing five before the warriors were able to get between them and their attackers. At the end of the skirmish, Kendrick ended up with more necklaces for testing.
This is what Keelan had been doing for two hundred years? How did he do it? Feeling useless, Kendrick stood and decided he had to find a way to help. He had more magic than he knew what to do with; surely he could accomplish something useful.
He was walking around trying to find Anne when he spotted Amelia. She stood in the middle of the training yard, a blank look on her face. He hurried over to her, grabbing a blanket from a nearby pile on his way. He wrapped her up and held her close.
"Shush, it's going to be okay Amelia." She began shaking under the blanket.
