She splashed water on her arm again and looked at it closely. It was no good. She healed too quickly to build scars on top of scars. The pattern remained unaltered. Sighing, she left the bathroom.
In her living room, she surveyed the mess. She would clean it up tomorrow.
Dawn began to color the sky as Forest dropped on her bed and fell asleep.
Chapter Two
PILES OF files were stacked to eyelevel atop Kindel’s desk. Every miniscule tidbit of information on all Fortress operatives was heaped before him like a haystack. He must find the elusive needle. The clock ticked loudly, incessantly drawing his attention. He had a weeks’ worth of work and only a handful of hours to complete it. They weren’t paying him enough for this crap.
He closed his bloodshot eyes and took a few deep breaths. He couldn’t pull this off. The weight of his thoughts pulled down on his shoulders like an over-stuffed backpack. What would they do to him if he failed? Fortress couldn’t fire him—he was privy to too many government secrets. However, they could demote him. Kindel shuddered.
He focused on the piles in front him. He had been through every single page. He knew every operative personally; he managed three quarters of them. And not one stood out as the obvious choice for the black ops mission.
Kindel pushed his chair out and began pacing the floor of his office, too agitated to care that pacing was very un-elfish. The King had clearly lost his head, and the high council stood behind him, cheering on this folderol. They had formed a plan and dropped it right in his lap. He would do all the work, and the council would take all the credit. Like always.
Kindel ground his teeth. He needed an operative who specialized in combat and stealth. He had plenty of those. Not a spy. Kindel hated spies. He needed someone he could trust, someone loyal to him. But more than anything, he needed someone versatile and also, unfortunately, expendable. He needed…He needed…
His phone vibrated in his pocket. A text from Forest. He read it, half-smirking, half-scowling. Why did she always call him The Suit?
Suit, leaving work two hours early. Dock my pay if you want. Oh wait, forgot I’m salaried.
–blows raspberry— Forest
Forest! It hit him like a sucker punch from an ogre. He needed Forest. Forest was the solution to his problem. An imperfect, knotty solution, but selecting her made sense.
He ought to reprimand her for her insolence and work habits, but Earth was low on his list of priorities. Personally, he didn’t really care if the whole human race was annihilated, but it was part of his job to oversee the portals from Regia.
Kendel dug into the mound of paper and fished out Forest’s file. He scanned through it, wishing he could edit out a few little unsavory things. His logic for selecting Forest for this mission was undeniable, as were the strong objections he knew the council would raise. He sat back down, dipped his quill in ink, and began to write the proposal.
Forest’s eyes loomed in Kendel’s mind. He couldn’t conjure her face, as he had no idea what it really looked like. He wished she had been born a pure blood elf, like him, and not some cast off, illegitimate Halfling. As it was, she was considered the lowest of beings in all the world of Regia. His respect for her was second to none because no one else gave her any. She was undeniably shady, and bad tempered, and had a love affair with weapons that Kendel didn’t understand. Through the years he had watched her battle harder than anyone else, only to achieve less. She was the only Halfling Fortress Operative in all of Regia’s history.
Kendel rolled his thin shoulders and cracked his neck. He knew Forest didn’t fantasize about him the way he did about her, and that was best, he told himself. Nevertheless, he longed to see her true face, if only for a moment. But she couldn’t have shown Kendel her real face even if she wanted to. When she finally met her destined life mate, she would never be able to hide her true form from him.
Kendel agonized over the mission proposal for the next few hours. He wanted to be realistic and fair to Forest if she succeeded, but not so much that the council would notice his favoritism. Using her was going to be a hard sell. The council met in the morning, and should they approve the mission, Kendel would meet with Forest in the evening before her shift. Kindel smirked. She might be an even harder sell than the council.
****
FORTRESS CASTLE, REGIA
HIGH COUNCIL MEETING
The high council chamber in the heart of the castle was empty except for Kendel. He didn’t like being in this room alone. It made him feel like a child, sneaking somewhere he wasn’t allowed. A copy of his proposal rested on every seat. Personally addressing the high council was something Kendel had only been called to do a few times before. It was a high honor—one that turned his stomach. He was sure his career would suffer if the council rejected his proposal, but in all of Fortress’ operatives, no one made more sense for this mission than Forest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who knew about her prejudice against vampires. Her file documented it. Aside from that, the members of the council might act too high and mighty to care about a Halfling, but they indulged in gossip just like everyone else. They all knew about her.
The chamber doors opened. Security ogres came through first and positioned themselves strategically around the circular room. The six council members lazily filled in. First came Devonte, the Wizard. He was ancient and hunched and could give Oscar the Grouch cranky lessons. Kendel avoided him whenever he could. Wizards considered themselves above the law, and Devonte more than most. The fact that they were a dying race gave them an imaginary license for lawlessness. If Devonte desired more power, he could have declared himself the emperor of Regia, and no one would have stood against him. One wizard could destroy an entire army.
Next into the chamber was Nahcaan, the Ogre. Eight-foot-two, five hundred pounds of exaggerated muscle and a perpetually cheerful mood. One of the most educated and talented ogres in all of Regia, he spoke slowly and evenly. Kendel didn’t have the slightest idea which way he would vote on the mission. Nahcaan was excessively logical, but the ogres were faithful allies to the vampires. Always had been, always would be. Could logic trump fidelity?
Zefyre, the Elf priestess, followed Nahcaan. She smiled thinly at Kendel, who felt his stomach flip. She was five hundred years older than him, not that she looked a day over twenty, and had been Kendel’s first boyhood crush. It was hard for him not to blush around her as the memory came back into his head of how, when he was fourteen, he had proclaimed passionate love for her. He figured that she would be behind his proposal for the mission out of family loyalty; she was Forest’s aunt. But Zefyre would never claim Forest publicly since her brother hadn’t owned that Forest was his.
Next came Frost, the Werewolf. Kendel always felt unsteady around him. He was broad as most werewolves were, and always looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a week. However, for a werewolf, he was positively posh. A superior politician, slick as they came. What you saw was not what you got with Frost. Frost would probably vote against Forest taking the mission, because that would be the politically correct move.
Fifth in line was Gagnee, the Shape shifter. She was Kendel’s idea of the dragon lady. She changed her appearance more often than any other shifter in the whole of Regia. Kendel suspected she did so to eavesdrop on her underlings. Her vote would be the easy yes. Shifters were considered to be second-class citizens; they stuck together fiercely. Gagnee might not approve of Halflings, but the fact Forest’s mother was a shifter would sway her.
Lastly, there was Lush, the Vampire, whom Kendel despised, mostly because of his rumored liaisons with Zefyre. He was typical vampire nobility scum, condescending with every syllable. Everything from his clothes to his tone of voice was calculated precisely. Arrogant and ambitious. He was nothing more than a successful social climber.
They sat in a semi-circle around Kendel, methodically smoothing their robes under their butts and looking down at the papers in front of them. Silence fell as they read. He watch
ed their expressions change as they thought about his proposal. Lush shook his head in disapproval when he finished reading and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for his fellows to join him.
One by one, they put the papers down. It was Kendel’s job to begin the tug of war. “Shall we vote, or is deliberation needed?” he asked.
“Needed,” Lush said immediately, in unison with Devonte.
Kendel gave a little bow to the council and prepared to hold his mouth shut while the arguing began. It was, as he expected, going to be a long day.
Chapter Three
THE LATE afternoon sun baked Forest’s red curtains. The light filtering through washed the walls in pink. She slept as though drugged in the heat of her condo. The ceiling fan over her bed was off balance, the chain pulls clinking cheerfully, as it buffeted her with hot air.
The vibrating sound of her phone as it knocked repeatedly into her bedside lamp, disturbed her sleep. She rolled over and grabbed the offensive little thing, reading the email from Kendel with blurry eyes. Some of the message registered in her sleepy brain, and she forced herself to sit up. She grabbed the tumbler of lukewarm water by her lamp and drank it down. It tasted stale and dead, and she hated it. Earth’s water was one of the few things Forest didn’t like about the place. It failed to regenerate her the way Regia’s water did, didn’t taste as good, and wasn’t as pretty. She hissed in pain from what she’d done to herself hours before.
Unable to focus on the email, she headed for the shower, turned it on, and stepped in. The water washed off the dried blood on her arm and swirled pink around her feet. She ran her fingers gingerly along the ridges of her scars. The pads of her fingers knew every line. The cuts she had made hadn’t changed her scars in the slightest; they still felt exactly the same. Her shifter abilities allowed her to hide them from the eyes of others, but she couldn’t hide them from herself. Those scars were the cruelest things in existence, because they ensured that she could never forget the night she received them.
The water worked wonders in waking her up, and she was able to fully comprehend Kendel’s email when she read it again. She read it and re-read it, excitement blasting through her. This was important and unexpected, and she needed to hurry. The email was vague, but she knew that whatever this mission was, it was her chance. A big break, as the humans called it. She had to push back her urge to rush about, in order to get to Regia quickly. Arriving in Regia, sweaty and out of breath wouldn’t look very professional. So, instead of flying around, she made herself an iced mocha and stepped out onto her terrace to catch a few minutes of the sunset.
Forest loved Austin. It was a beautiful city, with its hills, and trees, and river. She loved Earth’s sun too, so warm, so different from Regia’s. She had been all over the earth, but she preferred America, and Texans emulated the kick-ass attitude she herself worked to perfect. She breathed deeply and sipped her coffee, letting all the angst of last night slip away. This might be the last time she saw her beloved Austin for a long while, and she would miss it.
Once the sun dipped behind the treetops, Forest felt it was time to hustle. She tossed the glass from the bathroom sink into the trash and rinsed the blood away, then looked at herself in the large mirror for a moment, calculating. She looked a bit like Wonder Woman. Too sexy for an important meeting in Regia, she decided. There were magazine pictures of different models and actresses taped to the wall around the edges of the mirror that Forest used as inspiration. She filed the Wonder Woman look into her memory before shrinking the long, curly black hair into a sleek red bob. The curvy figure shrank as well into an almost boyish shape, and for a finishing touch, she spattered some freckles across her nose. Her eyes remained the same green they always were, no matter what her shape. She did a quick check to make sure that her ears were not pointing at the top. For some odd reason she always had a hard time controlling them. If she didn’t pay attention, they would shift back to their natural shape of their own volition.
There was nothing Forest could find in her closet that would be appropriate attire once she crossed the portal. She slipped on Flip-flops, short cutoffs, and a tie-dyed Keep Austin Weird T-shirt. It made her smile when she thought of the disapproving look Kendel would give her.
Lastly, she half-emptied her jewelry box, putting a silver ring on each finger, silver hoops and studs in her ears, and half a dozen silver chains around her neck. Oh, if only she’d been so decked out last night.
Forest quickly cleaned up the peaches and glass before grabbing her keys, MP3 player, and tucking her .45 in her waistband. She set the alarm on the security system and stepped out into the heat. The baking-hot concrete almost melted off the bottoms of Forest’s flip-flops as she strode to her car. She felt powerful just looking at the black and red 1971 Dodge Demon 340. Not only was it rare, if she’d had the time, Forest would have taken it to car shows. It glistened in the sunset like an oil slick. She slid sinuously behind the wheel; the leather of the seat scorched the backs of her bare legs. The engine roared to life, literally, a feral demon indeed. She plugged her MP3 player in and turned it to something to heighten her mood.
The Demon terrorized the streets of Austin, rattling every window with the engine’s growl and some good old fashioned Beasty Boys, Brass Monkey.
Since she would be leaving Earth for a while, she decided to put the car in her storage unit and walk the rest of the way to the club. She would miss the Demon while she was gone.
The metal of her gun against her back was irritating as she walked down the sidewalk, especially once she started sweating. It would be nice to ditch firearms for a while. They made combat so impersonal, and they were strictly banned in Regia. Forest broke Regia’s laws from time to time in regard to human paraphernalia, but she never desired to try smuggling in guns. Regia had enough trouble.
It struck her that if she got a big promotion with this new mission she might have to give up smuggling all together. That sucked.
The club was in sight; the businesses along the street were either closing down or opening up. Among the people on the sidewalk, one figure moving away from her caught her utmost attention. Anger didn’t begin to cover it. Obscenities, both Regian and human thumped in her skull. Her fists balled, and she picked up her pace. “Lorcan! Stop!”
The vampire halted and turned to face her. His nostrils flared, and a hiss escaped his lips. Most could hardly tell the difference between Lorcan and his brother Leith, but Forest always knew. Lorcan didn’t budge as she strode up to him.
Forest showed no trace of fear as she bellied up to the vampire, who towered at least a foot over her. He looked at her confusedly, but his expression cleared once he looked in her eyes. Recognition dawned on his face.
“Forest.” He turned her name into a curse, rolling it in his throat like something he wanted to hock up and spit out.
“You are breaking the law. Please return to Regia immediately, or you will be subject to arrest. If you resist or flee, your life is forfeit and it is my duty to take you out.” She sated the script through her clenched teeth.
He laughed at her.
“Rather stupid of you to loiter so close to the portal, Lorcan.”
“Get bent, Forest,” he spat. “If it weren’t out of respect for my brother, I’d kill you right here.”
Her thin veneer of control peeled away, and Forest’s temper snapped like a twig as she seized one of Lorcan’s forearms in both of her hands. His face blanched, and she could see he was fighting the urge to scream like a little girl. The silver rings she wore burned his bare skin, and the pain almost crumpled him to his knees.
“Don’t you ever mention Leith to me again, Lorcan!” Forest snarled. “Now let’s take this inside.”
She towed him by his arm, and he followed like a reluctant dog on a leash, swearing continually. Forest kicked the swinging door to the club open and pulled Lorcan through it. In the dark and loud atmosphere, Lorcan pulled his arm free of her grasp and cradled it
against his chest. The burning smell of his flesh reeked. She could tell he was fighting a whimper.
“Why don’t you just arrest me and get it over with?” he growled.
“I’m not on duty. So I guess this is your lucky night. You get to go back without even an official warning. But I’ll give you one off the record. I see you this side of the portal again, and I won’t even bother with the arrest crap, I’ll just shoot you.”
“I’ll not forget the disrespect you’ve showed me.” He sneered at her and whispered, “Halfling.”
Forest smiled nastily. “I’d watch my language, if I were you.” Her hand reared back, and she punched him right in the mouth, the silver rings on her fingers burning his lips. Lorcan hollered in pain as Forest grabbed him by the arm again and pulled him to the back of the club. Luckily, there was next to no one there this early in the night.
The lone woman in the ladies’ room screamed as Forest pushed Lorcan through the bathroom door. She quickly grabbed her handbag off the counter and ran out.
“How dare you!” Lorcan snarled.
Forest just pointed at the last stall. It had an “out of order” sign tapped to the door. “Get your ass back where it belongs.”
Lorcan stalked to the stall and punched the door open. He turned to face her. “One day, Forest. I swear I’ll kill you. “
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure.”
“I’m gonna talk to him,” he threatened. “The next time you see Leith, he’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to me.”
She didn’t care that he was standing on the threshold of the portal. She didn’t care who would hear. She was going to kill him right now. Lorcan’s eyes widened. He could move fast when he needed to.
The bullet blew a hole through the stall door as Lorcan closed it. One millisecond faster, and she’d have hit her mark, but he was gone.
Forest looked around the bathroom. Gun smoke hung heavy in the air and mingled with the commercial air freshener. Good thing this hadn’t happened during peak business hours. She didn’t really care about being inconspicuous to humans, however, her present antics would have landed her a bit more than a slap on the wrist if Kendel ever found out. Maybe she needed a break. Maybe this new mission would be just the thing.
Forbidden Forest (The Legends of Regia) Page 2
