by Ivy Hayes
“You found her, thank you,” Grant says first.
“Did you secure Theo?” Parker jumps straight to business.
“We did,” said Gregory, “that is why it took so long to come after you. He woke up and put up a little of a fight.” He rubbed his chin, as if soothing a sore spot.
“Good, that is one less thing to worry about.”
“What about the other ones?” Ash asked.
“There was only one, Matthew, I left him asleep in the woods. I didn’t have anything to secure him with and I was more concerned with getting Gwen back here. I am not worried about him though, he is more of a follower, with Theo as his leader. He won’t come here on his own.”
“Not even for a rescue?” I ask.
“No,” he shakes his head, “unless my father directs him to.”
“He wouldn’t risk that, not with the day getting as late as it is. The longer he waits to start the attack, the more likely it will fail,” said Gregory.
“My thoughts exactly,” responded Parker.
Ash asked, “Parker, are you sure there is no way to end this without any more violence?”
“Not unless I can talk to my father and get him to see reason.” We can all tell by the look on his face that he believes that to be impossible.
“About that,” Gwen says, “I have a plan.”
THIRTY-FIVE – PARKER
Gwen continued, “My plan is risky, but I think it might be our only way out of this. We know where the Westhaven men are, and we need to go to them. They will see us coming, but we will approach with a white flag, hopefully convincing the scouts not to shoot at us. We need to get Parker close enough, so he can either talk to his father or address the masses and convince them to lay down their arms.”
“That is too risky,” I shake my head at her.
“No, it’s not,” she argues, “if we don’t do this, we know they will attack the town and we will be overrun. We don’t have any other options.”
“We can’t just walk up, Gwen,” Gregory said, “they will kill us before we get close, white flag or not.”
“But what if they don’t?” She sounds desperate, wanting her idea to work.
“What we need is a distraction and it could work,” I say, though I am not sure what the distraction could be. “Do you guys have any ideas? You know the area better, what would work?”
“I don’t know, but we will have to come up with something,” Gregory said.
“We need to prepare,” Ash spoke next, “the battle will start soon, we can discuss more after everyone is ready.”
Hopefully it will give us time to come up with an idea. The group dissipates with plans to meet back downstairs in an hour. I place a hand on Gwen’s arm, holding her back.
“You can use my room to clean up and get ready.”
“Thank you, do you mind joining me in mine first, I need to get a new outfit out and I don’t want to go in there alone.”
“Of course.”
Together we climb the stairs and I reach down, grasping her delicate hand in mine.
“Can I convince you to stay back?” I ask her, my voice soft and pleading.
Her face is stern, “No, you cannot. The house hasn’t been very safe for me, I might as well be around everyone else.”
She makes a good point, “Promise me you will run if things start to go south?”
Gwen shakes her head, “I won’t leave you.”
“I will be fine, but I need to know you will be away from danger if it turns to fighting.”
I can tell she wants to object, but she is no doubt scared from the events of today, which will hopefully sway her in the direction I need her to go in.
“Okay, I promise,” she says softly.
I stop and pull her into a quick kiss, “Thank you. I can’t bare the idea of losing you.”
I meld my lips to her soft ones, loving this second of calmness. Gwen tries to deepen it, but we don’t have time to get carried away, so I groan and pull back. Her eyes are sparkling up at mine. I smile and give into the desire to kiss her one more time, this one more intense. Our tongues do a lazy dance and she pulls herself in closer to me.
This kiss sets my resolve more than anything. I will protect her. I will prevent this battle. I will give her the life she deserves.
Walking into her room, I hear Gwen’s breath catch.
“Oh my god, look at this mess.”
There is broken furniture, blood and water all over the room. It is going to be a nightmare to clean and some things will have to be thrown out.
“We will clean it up later, now hurry, I don’t want to spend too much time in here.”
“Me neither,” and she starts rustling through her wardrobe, pulling out a surprising outfit, consisting of trousers, a fitted shirt and tall boots. It is going to cling to her curvy body, hugging her tight behind and emphasizing the perfection of her body. She will be a temptation and I only hope it doesn’t distract me.
Seeing the shock on my face, she laughs and says, “You didn’t expect me to fight in a dress, did you?”
I close my dropped jaw, “I wasn’t thinking one way or another. Why do you even have an outfit like that?”
A wink, “A woman’s got to have her secrets, doesn’t she? Now, let’s go.”
After safely depositing Gwen in my room, I approach the room Theo is being held in. I pause before I open it, not quite ready for the verbal battle I am about to undergo. Theo really is more of my father’s son than I am. They have the same blind harshness inside of them, but where my father is better, his actions are usually based on his convictions.
I force myself to remember that he killed my favorite horse and almost killed me in the process. He means harm, that is obvious, so I can’t go in there and give him any opportunities, or any forgiveness. How could I forgive the person who tried to kidnap Gwen?
Theo is secured to a chair, arms tied behind his back through the dowels and each leg tied to a leg of the chair. He is blindfolded and gagged, for added measure. His head snaps towards the sound of the open door. I can see him straining to listen and determine who came in. I let him ponder, giving myself a few more seconds before this begins.
I removed his blindfold and gag, not saying anything as I set them on the table then pull of a chair just farther than an arm’s reach away. We sit in silence for a few minutes, staring at each other.
Theo breaks the silence, first, “How is Gwen doing?”
Anger rising in my throat, but I won’t let him get to me, nor will I respond to the question he asked.
“Why is my father attacking?”
“To defend against the Cliffden threat,” he smirks at me, trying to get a reaction out of me.
I keep my face impassive, “What is the real reason?”
“Gwen has an interesting little talent. Did you know about it?”
“How did you find out?”
“It was a lucky guess, at first, but when I saw a similar dog running past our camp, it didn’t take me much effort to connect the dots.”
“Is that why you tried to take her?”
“I could care less about her being a shifter, I am not afraid of a little dog.”
“Then why?” I say through tight teeth.
His smirk tells me all I need to know. He only tried to take her because hurting her would hurt me.
I grit my teeth and ask, “Does my father know?”
“No, but let’s just say he wouldn’t be surprised to find out. It seems the Cliffden men have a thing for shifter women.”
“What are you talking about, Gwen is the only one.”
He laughs out loud, “Your new family doesn’t trust you as much as you think they do.”
“Are you telling me this is all about father’s old war against the shifters? I thought he left that in the past.”
I might have been right because Theo ignores that and continues his laughing and says, “Give Gwen a kiss for me, tell her I am thinking about her.”
THIRTY-SIX – PARKER
Lord Cliffden took about twenty minutes to find. I started to panic, fearing I wouldn’t find him before this battle started. When I finally spot him, he is in the middle of a conversation with a group of young men and I don’t hesitate to interrupt.
I bring myself right next to him then say, “Lord Cliffden, can we go somewhere to talk in private?”
“Now is not the best time, Parker.”
“This can’t wait,” my tone serious.
“Okay,” he nods then addresses the men he was just talking to, “go find Gregory, he will fill you in on the rest of the plan.”
I am suddenly struck with respect for Lord Cliffden, he has given me more faith than my father ever did. I said it was important, he trusted me and changed what he was doing to give me the time I asked for. If I already hadn’t started loving the family, this would have secured it. All I have ever wanted is someone who does not think I am a waste of space.
In a few seconds we are alone in the corner of the room, not as much privacy as I would have liked, but I am counting on everyone else being too busy and preoccupied to listen in to our conversation.
“I want to ask you about your time with my father, when you were both younger and hunting shifters.”
His eyes look startled, “He told you about those days?”
“Not much,” I shake my head, “just that you and he joined together to rid the area of shifters.”
“I am not proud of my past,” he frowns then adds, “what do you want to know?” his face looks ashamed and I am not surprised, the purging was awful, or so I have heard. I never understood the hatred towards shifters.
“What was my father like when the hunt ended?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he seem relieved it was over, or rueful?”
“Ah, I understand. He was more rueful. He didn’t feel our duty was finished, but I was able to convince him it was time to end the crusade. I had just met my wife and was ready to start a family, his father was pressuring him to do the same. We hadn’t heard of any shifters in months, so I figured it was time. He didn’t agree.”
“That only proves my suspicions further,” I say, a hint of sadness in my voice. I whisper the next part, “Lord Cliffden, Gwen isn’t the only shifter in your family, is she?”
He gives a quick look around the room, making sure no one is close enough before he responds, “What does that have to do with this?”
“I am going off something my cousin said a little bit ago, I believe my father’s attack is rooted with his old desire to kill shifters. He must have gotten wind of the other shifters in your family and developed this ruse to cover his intentions, though I haven’t figured out why he was hiding the truth.”
“The tides have changed. Most people look back at that the purge with apprehension, regretful either of the part they played or their inability to defend their friends and neighbors. I don’t think he would have been able to accomplish this sort of gathering if he used the real reason.”
“If you are right,” I say, eagerness erupting in my throat, “we might be able to use that reason to stop this. I just need to talk to my people and make them understand the lie my father told them.”
Lord Cliffden shakes his head, “No, I will not have my family exposed like that.”
“John, this might be the only way to save all of them. You said it yourself, times have changed and maybe the exposed truth won’t be as bad as you think it will be.”
“I do agree with you though, this might be the best solution but either way, this isn’t our decision to make. It should be up to the ones who have the most to lose,” he looked pensive, “I will talk to my family and let you know what they decide. I suggest you work on what you will be saying to the men from your town, if it comes to that.”
“Thank you, for listening, that is.”
“You’re welcome. Stay in here, I will come find you.”
With that, he strode off in search of his family. Watching him go, I feel confident in the family siding with my suggestion. If Gwen’s strength is any indication of what this family is capable of, there is no doubt they will be brave enough to place their secret into the light.
The more challenging part will be placing myself in a position where I won’t be shot at, but still be able to address the crowd. I need to make enough people listen to me, otherwise it won’t work. The battle was already going to be hard, especially getting close while they are still in the woods. That part of the plan might have to change.
I want to do all I can to prevent any deaths. I don’t want people from home or Cliffden to get killed over my father’s hatred. A wave of panic washed over me, I forgot about the biggest part of all this. What am I going to do when this is all over?
My father will be furious I helped Cliffden and stopped his plans. Based on Theo’s behavior towards me, my father probably already sees me as a traitor. I don’t think I will be able to go back home. I am saddened by the idea of never walking again in the halls I grew up in, of never seeing the coastal views Westhaven is famous for or never showing Gwen that part of my life.
I am sure Lord Cliffden will let me stay here, but what will I do with my life. Up to this point, I had always planned on taking over for my father and ending my life as a lord, I am not prepared to do anything else. I will have to learn a craft, or something, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there.
I will desperately miss my home. I will miss the people and my friends. I wish I had spent more time walking around the grounds and saying goodbye before I came here, but how could I have known.
I was pulled out of my sudden despair when a boy, about eleven approached me, “Are you Parker?”
“I am,” I answer.
“My Lord asked me to find you and bring you to him.”
That was fast.
“Lead the way,” I gesture to tell him to walk.
The boy leads me into the library and I am met by Lord and Lady Cliffden, and their children. I move to be next to Gwen and she reaches down to hold my hand.
“Thank you, Thomas. Close the door, please,” said Lord Cliffden, dismissing the boy and creating privacy.
“So…” I ask.
Lady Cliffden spoke, “This is a lot you are asking us to do. Are you sure it will work?”
I shake my head, “No, but I think it’s at least a chance to prevent any bloodshed.”
“And I agree with him on that,” Lord Cliffden came to my defense.
Ash placed a hand on her swollen stomach and said, “I do too.”
Gregory didn’t look too pleased with his wife’s acceptance of the danger, but I could tell by his lack of argument that he agrees as well.
“I have faith the world is better for Shifters than it used to be,” I say, hoping it will help calm Lady Cliffden’s fears.
“For the general public, yes, but have you thought of the Ridders?”
Ridders are a group of people who strive for one mission, the complete eradication of Shifters. Lord Cliffden used to be one and I am sure my father still is. They are hateful, prejudiced and ruthless, but their numbers have been dwindling and I don’t think there are too many gangs left.
“There are not many left,” I try and argue.
Ash surprises me by what she says, “I am happy to be a defiance against the Ridders, I refuse to fear them anymore. Besides, Cliffden could become a sort of haven for Shifters, a place without danger and bias.”
“That is quite the dream, my love,” Gregory sighs.
“I am thinking of our child. They are almost guaranteed to have the gift, what kind of a world do you want to ra
ise them in? I for one, do not want them to grow up in fear, hating what makes them different.”
I hadn’t thought about children, either. If Gwen and I have any, there is a chance they will shift. I want them to have the same opportunity for a safe life.
Lady Cliffden sighed, “You all make good points, I have just been hiding this secret for so long, I don’t know if I am ready to put it out there.”
“I have always protected you, my dear, this won’t change that. No Ridder will get near you or our family,” the sound of promise resonating through Lord Cliffden’s voice.
“We have already discussed this before Parker came in, Mother. All will be fine, you just have to trust us,” said Gwen.
“I am trying, but I do understand, we must do all we can to protect our people.”
“So, we are all in agreement?” I ask.
A chorus of nods come from the family and Gregory speaks for all of them, “Yes.”
“Good,” I smile, “now we just need to figure out a distraction.”
THIRTY-SEVEN – PARKER
They had already discussed a plan before I arrived in the room. I listened as they described it to me, focusing on the logistics of it. The main points, the shifters, which I learned were Gwen, Gregory, Ash and Lady Cliffden, would be the distraction. Well, except Ash, apparently shifters are prevented from using their skill while they are pregnant, so she is going to stay behind.
With the distraction, they will hopefully stall the fighting long enough for me to get into a position to address as many people as I can.
This also changed our whole attack plan. It would be suicide to the plan to head into the forest. We need to be out in the open, so the distraction will spread to everyone and my voice will carry far and wide. The new strategy, to create a barrier in the center of town and have all the men huddled in one location. It is more dangerous for the women and children who will be left undefended in their homes, but we are hoping my father is more focused on the shifters than hurting the locals.
