All But Human (Fate Fire Shifter Dragon Book 5)

by Kris Austen Radcliffe

  No, Ladon thought. No one dies.

  Chapter Six

  Two months passed without incident. No attacks, no word of infiltration, no harassment.

  Dmitri’s people completed a comprehensive sweep of the property and the neighborhood immediately after Daisy and Gavin returned from their trials at Mount Rushmore, and two more times during the summer, before Ladon and Rysa moved in. No one found anything out of the ordinary, or signs of Seraphim booby-traps, or hints of unknown horrors in the what-was-is-will-be.

  Ladon checked the property each day anyway.

  The Praesagio-employed Fate triad Dmitri assigned to “watch over the house” called at regular intervals, as did Rysa’s parents. It seemed the many teams in Portland wanted regular updates for “calibration” and “assessment” and to make sure their seeings “matched those of the Draki Prime.”

  To Ladon, it looked more as if they knew something they weren’t sharing than any attempts to get out ahead of a future problem.

  For Rysa’s sake, he said nothing. Daisy seemed also to have her doubts about the Fates, but if she did, she kept it to herself. Gavin, though, turned his unending stream of questions to that day’s caller. He grilled in coded sentences that, to anyone listening in on their call, would sound as if he asked about everything from his hearing aids to how to cook barbeque. His questions about the physics of Fate and Shifter abilities, training, the physical and psychological effects of immortality, all flowed across the open cell phone airwaves as information exchanges about “sound waves” and “special sauce.”

  Ladon had to admit he was impressed by the kid’s espionage skills. He and Dragon took to training him between his classes and his “doctoring” sessions with the beast, and did their best to integrate his exceptional perception into his lessons.

  At home, Ladon’s sister and brother-in-law continued to care for the cave. In Branson, Andreas continued to care for The Land of Milk and Honey. Rysa continued to plan the wedding. And Daisy worked frantically at finishing her veterinary residency.

  Everyone had their tasks. Ladon set up a work table in front of the attic’s wide, bright window and busied himself cleaning the myriad of tools they kept under the floorboards of their van, but only so much work could be done on the already pristine equipment.

  Dragon spent his days investigating human physiology and playing with Radar and Ragnar while lobbing I want a puppy wishes in Ladon’s direction.

  They cleaned the van, planned training sessions for the young people in the house, played with the dogs, and tried not to think about the many different ways a ghost could come back from the dead and terrorize their family.

  It was the night of Samhain, after all. The season when the veil thinned and spirits found their way back into the land of the living, so Ladon, once again, checked the perimeter for encroaching shades.

  He stopped on his way to the front door and leaned against the wood frame surrounding the wide arch entrance to Daisy’s living room. The room had effectively become Dragon’s playground despite the tall picture window opening toward the street and the house’s lack of other entertainment spaces. The massive flat-screen television hung here, and other than the attic, this room had enough space for the beast to work comfortably.

  Ladon didn’t like it. He didn’t like his dragon out in the open this way, even if the beast was careful to always draw the curtains. He didn’t like the vulnerability.

  Every time he mentioned house hunting for a more defensible location, or pointed out the security inadequacies of Daisy’s property—inadequacies Dmitri forgot to warn him about—his woman and his dragon issued stern reminders of the beast’s new-found love of all things medical.

  So they continued to live in Daisy’s attic.

  The space was nice—open and fresh smelling, as was the rest of the house. Warm, too, now that the weather had begun to cool. Daisy had packed the back half with random boxes, rolled up rugs, and trunks—items one would normally find in an attic. But they were there for Dragon, to provide cover when he slept, and the beast took great care arranging and rearranging his camouflage.

  The sun set outside and like every night they’d spent in Minnesota, Rysa was on her way home later than Ladon liked. He glanced at the door. Samhain was not his favorite holiday.

  She could come home and study here. Eat lunch here as well, with them. Having her home would be a nice distraction from the constant flashes and riotous noises of Dragon’s electronic toys.

  A low humph rose from Ladon’s chest.

  My tools are no more toys than yours, Human, the beast pushed. He held up a flat piece of computer equipment in front of his big cat-like eye before showing it to Gavin, who stood next to the beast tapping at his own screen.

  I prefer this one, the beast signed, indicating his tablet computer layout preference.

  To the kid’s credit, he’d spent every free moment of the last two months working with Dragon to figure out the best way for the beast to access the aptly-described-by-Rysa “grossest medical website ever.” And, also, to help the beast learn.

  Twenty-three centuries Ladon had lived with Dragon and he’d always assumed the beast learned the same way he did. Gavin’s investigations suggested otherwise.

  Ladon tried to understand. The kid theorized that their connection somehow overrode Ladon’s ability to notice the differences, which made even less sense. So he shrugged and let Gavin and Dragon work it out without his interference.

  Gavin had hardwired the entire house, running conduits along Daisy’s baseboards and fishing cable, as well as dealing with service providers and upgrading—or downgrading, in some cases—all the computer and communication equipment in the house to make the wifi unnecessary.

  He also hooked up a system to Daisy’s massive television, in order to give the beast a wide monitor with which to view his anatomy lessons.

  Ladon walked to the living room and peered through the slit between panels of Daisy’s curtains. The days grew shorter and colder, and the locals decorated their lawns for the modern version of Samhain.

  Ladon and Dragon had lived their long lives stalked by things much worse than goblins and spirits. Pumpkin-like and midnight-colored plastic witches were ugly more than frightening. But it didn’t mean Ladon had to like them, either.

  Do not be selfish, Human. The beast tapped at his tablet with the special “adaptive” stylus the kid got for him. You know why Rysa studies on campus instead of here.

  “I know,” he said. She studied in the library so she wouldn’t be distracted when she got home. He and the beast calmed her attention issues but it seemed that the little noises they made, and the small caresses he offered, destroyed her concentration and she was determined to do well this semester.

  Ladon couldn’t help his behavior. He liked to touch.

  “Know what?” The kid looked between Ladon and the beast as if he expected to be included in the conversation.

  The whole “bestie of honor” designation bothered Ladon. They were marrying in the old way, at the center of the circle of the people most important to them, no besties, no favoritism, just family in a ceremony performed at the one moment during the year when the Earth began moving away from the dark. When life returned to the light.

  The same way Rysa had returned the light to his life. Marrying her on the winter solstice seemed not only appropriate, but also the correct thing to do.

  She returned the light to both of us, Human.

  “She did.” Ladon shifted his weight but continued to lean against the wood frame.

  Gavin’s face took on the tinge of annoyance he got every time Ladon spoke to Dragon without translating.

  Dragon handed his toy to Gavin. We were conversing about the wedding, he signed so that the kid understood.

  “Ah.” The kid tapped Dragon’s tablet. “I made plans to get your van to Wyoming while we’re flying around in the plane Mr. Pavlovich is going to send from Praesagio Industries.” He patted Dragon’s neck. “H
e says he’s sure Ivan will return before the wedding and that she’d drive your van to Wyoming herself, so you don’t have to worry about some random Land employee in your vehicle.”

  Ladon hadn’t really thought about it. The original plan was to leave it here, in the garage, and use one of their other vehicles while home.

  Gavin’s plan is better. Dragon picked up a different tablet off the console under Daisy’s huge television. Ivan is trustworthy.

  Ivan might be tiny but other than Andreas, she was the most trustworthy enthraller Ladon and Dragon knew.

  The console rattled. Its top was littered with German shepherd figurines, which surprised Ladon. Daisy never seemed the collecting type.

  “I suppose it is,” Ladon said. Preemptively, he waved his hand in the kid’s general direction. “Your plan is better than leaving it here. Thank you.”

  The kid nodded once before returning his attention to the beast. Built lanky like a runner, Gavin showed a great deal of agility and speed, and in many ways, he reminded Ladon of Daniel, the near-two-century dead future-seer of the original Draki Prime. Gavin walked the world with the same lean ease, though he did not have Daniel’s belly full of anger.

  Which was good for everyone, if Ladon was honest. Maybe with Gavin, Ladon could do a better job of honing the man’s naturally present skills. Gavin wasn’t broadsword material, so Ladon’s training had focused on smaller weapons and hand-to-hand techniques that favored the kid’s frame.

  Ladon glanced out the window again. Even though the modern urban peoples of America had turned this time of year into a commercial fest of false costumes and false foods, Ladon still found the night unsettling. At least around campus, the students used it as an excuse to party, and not to cause trouble.

  But he worried.

  Dragon tapped at his tablet. Ladon glanced over again. The beast didn’t worry about the noises outside or about the night normals dressed up and vanished into concepts often more disturbing than the website.

  It is only Halloween, Human. The beast continued to tap.

  Frowning, Ladon turned away. “I’m going to check the perimeter.” He hadn’t run the fence and checked the garage since dawn.

  “Why?” The kid stopped his work with Dragon.

  “Because it is time to check the perimeter.” Rysa had her late class today. Daisy would not finish her rounds until after dark. He needed to be sure the house was safe before the women returned home. The perimeter needed checking. The house wasn’t like the cave. They had no vault door to keep out the unwanted.

  What if someone got into the house?

  He would follow Rysa into campus each day if she’d allow it. Sit on the roof of the building across from her class and watch, to make sure. But she wouldn’t allow it.

  She offered a healing each time he brought it up, saying her being on campus without him did not make her vulnerable. She was a Prime Fate. But the drive to guarantee her safety still forced him to at least check the house’s perimeter every morning and every evening.

  Gavin set down his equipment. Slowly, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked toward Ladon. “Maybe we could all go up to my family’s cabin this weekend. Enjoy the fall colors. I’ll teach Dragon how to use the camera on his new tablet.” He pointed over his shoulder at the beast. “We’d be out of the city for a couple of days.”

  He wanted to enter a new, uncontrolled environment? One isolated and vulnerable? “We’ve seen many trees lose their leaves.” Ladon turned away. The perimeter beckoned.

  Gavin walked back toward Dragon, but he continued to watch Ladon the way the Second of the Dragons’ Legion, Andreas, would watch when he felt Ladon’s melancholy had begun to run too deep. “Rysa and Daisy can handle themselves. They’re okay on campus. It’s okay to relax.”

  Ladon and the beast had relaxed before they’d left the cave. Difficult or not, Ladon understood that a year in Minneapolis was necessary for Rysa, and that he’d have to live with his own unease as he had many times in his too-long lifespan. He’d relax again when they returned home.

  “How about you?” The kid patted Dragon’s neck. “You know, there are adaptive communication systems we can set up for you.” But he wasn’t looking at Dragon when he said his words about accommodation.

  Accommodations would make him look weak in the eyes of their enemies, and if that happened, rest would never be allowed. So Ladon turned away, toward his boots and his jacket. The yard was not large. He could check the outside without disturbing Dragon, except when he checked the alley.

  I will let you know when I need you to move to the garage.

  A buttressed sense of weariness flashed from Dragon. The beast felt compelled. Yes, Human, he pushed, and returned to his new toys.

  Ladon nodded once. He pulled on his boots and his jacket and stepped out into the Samhain night.

  Chapter Seven

  Rysa pulled the collar of her coat tighter around her neck. Dappled evening light spread low between the houses and along the street. The last remaining fall foliage clinging to the trees turned it a warm, Dragon-like, golden-orange.

  She hitched her pack up her shoulders. The pack weighed heavily on her back, full of her textbooks and her laptop, but she’d finished her paper in the library and only needed to print a copy when she got home.

  Daisy walked the neighborhood streets with Rysa using a shorter step than she obviously liked, slowing down periodically to fall back in line with her new roomie.

  Daisy seemed to favor lovely blue-reds and purples for her clothes, and they made her amber eyes sparkle. She was, hands down, one of the most beautiful women Rysa had ever met, with her model-perfect body and her absolutely amazing hair with its big, fat, coal-black curls. She’d said something about being “too athletic” in high school to be pretty, but Rysa figured that, like her own blonde and beautiful mother, Daisy downplayed her looks so people would take her formidable intelligence seriously.

  Her nose twitched under her red knit cap. “I smell sugar-plastic.” Daisy shook her head and her nostrils did the semi-closing coming-together of someone trying very hard not to smell something foul. “Commercial candy has this… petroleum… stink.”

  Rysa chuckled. “Halloween’s not your favorite holiday, I take it?” There’d be trick-or-treaters out tonight, though probably not a lot in the college neighborhoods. She could use her future-seer to look, but doing so felt stupid. Why should she cheat on Halloween?

  Her foot tapped a little and she skipped once before stuffing her hands into her coat’s pockets. Her dad used to take her out on Halloween night when she was little and she lived in San Diego. She always dressed up as something shimmering and colorful—mermaids, fairies, and one Halloween, an alien. Anything iridescent with wavy patterns and kaleidoscope shapes. Now, when she looked back, she wondered if she had been channeling her future connection to Dragon.

  When she and her mom moved to Minnesota, she stopped going out. Her mom had never been big on giving candy, either. Said kids shouldn’t eat that crap. Daisy obviously agreed.

  “Will we get a lot of trick-or-treaters?” Rysa nodded down the street.

  Daisy blinked once and her brow pulled together slightly, an expression she made a lot. Rysa read it as You’re the future-seer. Why are you asking me?

  “I figured you pretty much knew everything, since you’re a Prime.” Even after having Rysa and Ladon living in her house for two months, Daisy’s voice held a hint of distrust. Mostly, though, she sounded like a person with knowledge of how Fates operated, but not a PhD in Fate Studies.

  Which, Rysa had to admit, she didn’t have either. Nor had she and Daisy talked about Fates. Shifters, yes. Most of their chats as they walked home together centered on how Rysa’s dad was doing out in Portland, now that he’d joined the staff of Praesagio Industries’ Special Medical Unit. They talked about the unusual animal healing and enthralling variant ability Daisy carried, and Rysa’s now-truncated calling scents. Sometimes, they’d talk about run
ning healer experiments on Dragon to see how Daisy’s abilities affected the beast, but neither of them wanted him to hurt, so they didn’t pursue it.

  They talked about Ladon a lot, and AnnaBelinda, and Daisy’s father. Every once in a while, Rysa snuck in a story about Gavin, mostly because she could tell Daisy wanted to know but didn’t want to show that she wanted to know.

  But they didn’t talk about Fates. Not Rysa. Not her mom or other “good” Fates Dmitri now employed. Not the “Customer Heuristics and Relational Logistics Environmental Services” Fates assigned by Praesagio to watch over Gavin, or about the angel Fate. Daisy never asked questions.

  So the “knew everything” comment came as a bit of a surprise.

  And, to Rysa, it felt like a major breakthrough. “I don’t get a lot of random flashes anymore.” She went with it, partially because keeping secrets from their host seemed inappropriate, especially when her gifts might be valuable to Daisy, but also because, to be honest, Rysa wanted to talk about it. “Once I got my talisman back, it focused my abilities.”

  Gavin asked her questions all the time, but if it came down to a choice between poking at the physics of her abilities and a lunch date with Daisy, he picked Daisy every single time, a behavior Rysa whole-heartedly encouraged.

  Why they hadn’t gotten together yet, Rysa didn’t know. She refused to spy.

  She and Gavin did have that talk. “Do you worry about self-fulfilling prophecies?” he’d asked. “Seeing one outcome and behaving that way because you saw it, not because it’s what would have happened otherwise?”

  So no spying, especially when someone’s relationship hinged on Rysa’s unwitting comments and facial expressions.

  Rysa pulled on the leather cords around her neck and out from under her t-shirt and coat. The glimmering, blunted tip of Dragon’s talon popped out first. At about an inch long, to the random person, it looked like a shimmering glass tooth or claw. The second cord held her Dragons’ Legion insignia.