by T S Paul
"Slavery? Pretty much. It is a polite way of saying it. Much like the Eastern European way of saying a Pack girl was sent to town. That is a euphemism for being sent to become a mail-order bride for other Packs. It is part of normal life and society there. The Association has tried to stop most of it, but the rumors persist. Many of the more violent Packs have enforcers that got their training from somewhere. These enforcers never speak of their past, even under oath or Alpha power. To resist that, they had to have been indoctrinated in the extreme. Be very careful Agatha. Arkansas is a dangerous place. Pick your allies carefully. Trust cautiously. Look for hidden meanings in everything and everyone you encounter. I have to go. Be careful." He disconnected.
I turned toward my fledgling team. "That was...interesting."
"I'm surprised he was so candid with you actually." Anastasia stepped out of the shadows.
"Why?" Cocking my head, I stared at her.
"Weres have always been very secretive concerning their society and activities. Even after the Government took control and created the reservation system, they kept their secrets to themselves. He just told you more information in one sitting than most investigators get in their whole lives." Ana sat down on the most shadowed chair.
"Well, we know it's real. Let's get moving then. It's a fifteen-hour drive to the Arkansas border and several more to the town of Arbor. I have room for two extra in the Crimes unit. That means someone needs to ride here with Ana. That person will be the driver, so who's it going to be?" I looked at Bill and Chuck specifically.
"I'm too short to drive this thing, so I'll go with Agatha." Cat looked at the others.
"Is this thing diesel?" Bill turned to Ana.
"It has a 600 horsepower Tummins diesel engine in it. It has enough power to pull one of the full sized Suburban's if you would like too." Ana was very proud of her new home.
"I'll do it. My wife and I have a thirty-foot class C. I have never driven a Class A like this before, but it looks similar to some I've been in. Is there any bedroom space?"
"The couch folds out." Ana pointed to where Chuck was sitting.
"OK. Let's do our checklists and walkarounds. I'll let the Director know we're leaving. Bill, keep in contact with us by cell phone. Leave any personal vehicles here. We can requisition some from the local office as we need them." I stepped out of Ana's RV and into the cold night air. Everything was coming together.
"Can you believe this is actually happening?" Cat gave me a hug and looked up at me.
"Which part? If you mean the three of us working together, then yes. It's pretty cool. We have to deliver, though. Keep that in mind."
"Do you think that will be an issue?" Cat paused as she climbed into my RV.
"I hope it isn't. Madeline made it clear that we are an experiment to see what a paranormal group can do. They sent Bill along with us a chaperon. Mainly to keep us from stepping on too many toes." I pointed to a clipboard behind the seat. "Grab that."
"That is the checklist. We run through that every time you move this thing. Fergus are you still in there?" I felt my pocket.
"Yes. I take it from the list in your hand we are leaving again. So much for your promise to let me catch up with Jodi and Anne over at Anchors-a-Weigh."
"Sorry, buddy. Murder takes precedence over your stomach every time. I'll get you a salad on the road."
"It's not the same. But thanks." He moped as I put him in his barn.
Cat stared at the list for a moment. "Why do you have to check on Fergus as step one?"
I chuckled. "When we first started traveling with Jack in this thing Fergus almost had a serious accident. Ever since then, I check on his whereabouts first before doing anything else."
"What did he do?" Cat peered into his little red barn.
"These RVs are built to utilize all available space. When the slides are out, we have lots of room as well as quite a few hidey-holes. Those all disappear when the slides are in. He managed to build what he called a Unicorn Fort under the table over there. I didn't check for him and hit the retract button. His screams are why he is still alive today. So now, I check for him first. After that, it's on him." I pointed to the table, and the retract button.
"She saved you from becoming a Unicorn pancake, Fergus."
Fergus made grumbling noises from inside his barn. He still wasn't happy about losing his Unicorn Fort, but at least he was still alive. The slides were still in so the list was quicker to finish. I let Cat do the walk around as I started up the RV.
"Hey, how did you get scratches all along the bottom edge of all the compartments?" Cat carefully climbed into the passenger's side door.
"I didn't notice those. I had a Jackalope encounter in West Virginia earlier today. Maybe they were trying to climb in."
"How did they get out that far?"
"I don't know. I was going to ask your father that. What did he want those Jack's for anyway?" I reminded Cat of the hunt after graduation.
"He wanted them for his hunting preserve. I was under the impression that he was keeping them inside his property. Want me to check?" Cat pulled out her phone and held it up.
"Yeah, why don't you do that? I just know I'm going to be blamed for them getting loose."
Cat dialed her father. "Dad? A quick question for you. Any idea how Jackalopes could get to West Virginia? What? He did? He didn't tell us any of that!"
I could almost hear Robert's voice on the phone. The Pack bonds that we initiated last year were starting to make their presence known in my body. My strength was up just a tiny bit as well as my hearing.
"That boy. Agatha is going to shoot him. I'll try. No, she is right here with me. No. No. NO! We'll take care of it. Yes, I'll be careful. Thanks. We love you." Cat closed her phone and stared at me a funny look on her face.
"Did he know?"
"Oh, yeah. Dad knew. It's Chuck and Mongo's fault. They let a dozen of them loose inside a National Park last year." Cat held up her hands in desperation.
"They did what? Chuck sure didn't mention any of that to me."
"It seems they got the cages mixed up and couldn't even tell what escaped males or females. Dad said the ones at the ranch are all tagged and monitored."
"At least that's something. Chuck is in so much trouble!" I pulled out my phone and dialed.
There was a faint ring, and then someone picked up. "Hey, Agatha. Are you ready to go? Bill and I got everything closed up and ready to go over here. Did you know he has one of these things at home?" Chuck sounded like he was in a good mood. I hated to ruin it for him.
"I did know that. Chuck, a quick question for you?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Were you ever going to mention the Jackalopes that got away in the park? I ask because I saw a couple in West Virginia this morning." There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone.
"Chuck? Are you still there?"
"Sorry, Agatha. I should blame Mongo, but I was in charge. Ten of them escaped while when we stopped for a breather on the side of the road."
"And you didn't try to stop them?" I looked questionably at Cat sitting beside me.
"Well... They ran in like ten different directions. By the time, we realized what had happened we couldn't do anything. The rest we delivered to Robert." He sounded really sorry.
"This isn't good, Chuck. I'm most likely going to be blamed for it. Whatever my punishment is I'm going to share it with you. Understand?"
"I understand. Thanks." He hung up the phone.
I looked back at Cat again. "There is a story there somewhere. Too bad Mongo isn't around, he bends pretty easily."
"That is because even though he is a big strong Bear shifter, he's scared of you, Agatha."
I smiled at Cat but found her statement hard to believe.
~~~~~~~~
"Are you out of your ever-loving minds? How could you give that child that much power over others?" Montgomery yelled at the other Witches' Council members.
"Calm yourself. Agatha is unde
r supervision on more than one level. We're aware at all times of anything she might do or say."
"Really? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like she's in charge of a high-powered group that could change everything. Why allow her access to those she already knows? She would have been better off with regular FBI Agents." Montgomery had only just found out about Agatha's new team.
"This is the FBI. The sweeping change will do them some good. Using the girl to do it is only practical. We can control her." Councilor Ray Winters looked down on Montgomery from her podium chair.
"Remember the Dragon? I love how you controlled her then. She will be the doom of us."
"Sit down Monty! She is still just a child. The position is just for show. It's to give the others some self-importance. We need more Paras in Government service. This is just the first step. Don't worry about her so much." The speaker was a tall man with a short well-trimmed goatee.
"You may say that from up there Fitz, but I know you are secretly scared of what she can do. Or are you able to take down a Dragon on the first try?" Montgomery turned his glare toward the podium again.
"Enough, the lot of you. Montgomery. Did you find what we sent you to find?" The woman speaking was wrapped in shadow. The cloak she wore seemed to draw in the light.
"Yes, Chief Councilor Bethany. Our records are incomplete in regards to Guardians before the 1700s, but I have a friend in Germany who did some searching for me."
"And?"
"It had to have come from Verity Blackmore. She was last reported in the Empire of Britain in the late 1500s. The European Council lost track of her there." Montgomery clutched a large file in his hands.
"Do you know anything else about her?"
"She was instrumental in bringing Dragases Palaiologos to justice in 1453."
The Chief Councilor studied Montgomery's face. "That was her? Interesting. I wonder how she got out of the city."
"What city? What the hell are we talking about?" Fitz stared at Montgomery in puzzlement.
Montgomery looked to the Chief Councilor. She inclined her head to him.
"The city she refers to is Constantinople. Dragases was one of the rulers of the time. Human history has him dying in the city. It seems Miss Blackmore dispensed justice to him. He was a necromancer and a rogue under a Council death sentence at the time. The city itself was under siege by the Turks."
"So why do we care what some Blackmore bitch did five hundred years ago?" Fitz looked down the row of thrones.
"I want to know that too." Councilor Winters leaned forward in her chair.
"It's about the bracelet that Agatha Blackmore has in her possession. It's a Guardian bracelet that once belonged to Verity."
"Still not seeing your point here." Fitz gave Montgomery the evil eye.
"Actual Guardian bracelets are beyond our ability to duplicate. They pass from Guardian to Guardian. They are semi-aware and select their own companions. Their powers are obtained in part, from those that have worn it before. Some are extremely dangerous. According to my European Council contact, only three are known to have been lost to the ages. Her's is one of those."
"Just tell the girl to give it back. Easy." Ray Winters frowned.
"Not that easy. Once a bracelet bonds with its host, it cannot be removed. Only death will free it."
"Oh. I suppose killing the child is out of the question?" Fitz looked to the leader of the group.
"Don't even think it. If Marcella Blackmore didn't get you, I would. The girl is central to our plan. Just suck it up. Thank you, Montgomery. That will be all, for now. Please follow up on the other assignments I gave you."
Montgomery bowed and grumbled a few unintelligible words as he walked out. He knew better than to argue with the head of the Council.
"Now. What is our status when it comes to the Draconic Empire? Have they begun negotiations yet for the body?"
Chapter 7
"I miss my Grandmother." I blew out a breath I had been holding. Then stared at the passing trees.
"Didn't you get a chance to see her after Graduation?" Cat looked up from the case file.
"Only then. Our cases took us west rather than north. I talk to her on the phone at least once a week, but it's not the same. This area reminds me of home."
Cat looked out the window at the forest. Cat could glimpse sparse fields of corn and wheat in between the rolling hills. She nodded her head. "I can see that. I haven't been to Maine, but I know it's heavily forested."
"You do, do you? How is it you know that?" I glanced away from the road and into her direction.
"From you silly. We only lived together for three years. Also, the son of the Alpha there tried to date me once. He would never shut up about life on the boat."
"There's a Were Pack in Maine?"
Cat looked at the expression on my face and laughed. "There's at least one Pack in every state sometimes more than that. Ralph's family were commercial fishermen. They are one of the few Packs that don't live on land."
"What sort of Were was he?"
"I don't know. That's funny really. I suppose that Father would know. I never asked him."
"Only you." I started laughing. "Only you would date an unknown. Couldn't you smell what he was?"
"No. Every time I tried, all I could smell was fish. A few times, he made me hungry. It was why I broke up with him. Can you imagine accidentally taking a bite out of your date because dinner was late?"
"Maybe he was a Tiger shark or something. Are there aquatic Weres?"
Cat cocked her head to one side. "I don't know. That is an interesting question. Maybe Anastasia or the guys will know." She whipped out her ever-present phone and started dialing.
~~~~~~~
"Hey, lonely already?" Chuck joked into the phone.
"No, how about we do a little ring fighting to loosen up when we stop? I can show you some new moves I learned."
Chuck shuddered at the thought of fighting Cat again. "No thanks. What can we do for you lovely ladies?"
"That's better. We have a question. Does anyone know if there are aquatic Weres? Like sharks or something."
"Hold on a minute Cat." Chuck covered the phone. "Hey, Bill. Do you know if there are aquatic Weres?"
"You mean like fish? What kind of crazy question is that, kid?" Bill was driving the RV.
"It's from Cat and Agatha. They have to be bored."
"That is not something I've ever run into before. I know there are WereWeasels but never a fish. Ask Anastasia. She's been around longer than me."
Chuck carefully unbuckled and swiveled his chair around. This model of RV had great shocks and an internal stabilizing system, but it still rocked while being driven. He walked to the rear and hit the intercom button.
"Yes, Chuck." Anastasia stared at the young FBI Agent through the camera on her door. When she commissioned this vehicle, they installed special doors and walls built by Texas Armor all around her cabin. Then it was encased in a steel reinforced shell to enclose everything. It would take a direct hit by a great big gun to destroy her sleeping area.
"The girls would like to know if you have ever heard of aquatic Weres and what kind they were."
"Tell them that they do exist, but are very rare. Only one species is on this continent, and that is a WereShark Pack. They are up in Canada usually so she need not worry about them."
"Good to know, I'll tell them. Thanks, Ana." Chuck turned and went forward. Anastasia licked her lips in remembrance of him. She did like Agatha, but she disliked her too. Witches. Always ruining a good thing for everyone.
"Cat, Ana says that only WereSharks exist. They live up in Canada."
~~~~~~~~
"WereSharks exist. I think I dated a fish." Cat turned toward me with a disgusted look on her face.
"At least his name wasn't Limpet. Would you have gone out with him if you knew?"
Cat stared out the windscreen for a moment. "Maybe. He was cute, but not really my type. If you know what I mean."
"Not sure. My other form intimidates everyone that knows about it. Ralph didn't know and most likely thought I was an ordinary Tiger. That is what most think I am and the smell is similar. Throwbacks like me are super rare among Were kind."
"One of these days you will find that perfect someone that makes your head spin around, and your hormones kick into high gear. Hopefully, I will be around to see it happen." I smiled at her and wiggled my eyebrows.
