Timothy laughed.
Leda grinned.
I asked, “I had an idea. What if we invite a witch’s spirit from the other side, one that would garner respect and knows the truth. Maybe the witches just need another witch to convince them of the truth.”
Leda frowned thoughtfully, “That might work, but I don’t know anyone that would garner instant respect, or anyone at all really that might be a good pick. Let me look into it.”
I nodded, “I have a question. I get they think we’re contained, the Blood leadership I mean, and that’s why we haven’t been arrested by force yet. But why haven’t they replaced Carl? You’re a great stand in, in my opinion, but I’m sure they don’t see it that way.”
Isaac barked a laugh, “Secrecy boy. The same reason they think we’re contained, they don’t want to risk sending in someone else who doesn’t know. They’ll fear that like Carl, they’d be swayed to our way of thinking. Secrecy, they don’t want anyone else to find out the truth about anything, not until they decide what to do. That means no new city commander.”
Serena said, “That’s…”
Leda said bluntly, “Stupid, I know. But gramps is right.”
I shrugged, “I’m not complaining of course, I was just surprised they hadn’t sent anyone at all, to at least keep an eye on us, if nothing else.”
Jared laughed, “They might not have someone inside to replace Carl, but they are keeping an eye on us. They probably have Blood in the city watching this place, to make sure we don’t leave the city. As long as we send you two out to patrol, and otherwise stick to our schedules, they’ll keep their distance.”
I nodded, that made sense I supposed, if you were paranoid about information security that is.
“Anything else going on?”
Timothy asked, “Got a hot date or something?”
I grinned, “As a matter of fact,” I winked over at Serena.
Serena blushed, and then asked, “What are we doing?”
“Picnic. Garfield park. If you want?”
It was one of those weird October heat waves, it was already over seventy, when it had been down in the forties last night. I figured the time was coming for indoor dates only, might as well enjoy the last of the warm days before then.
Her eyes were captivating as she nodded slowly in approval. I loved it when she looked at me like that, which meant I’d have to plan more surprises in the future.
Leda cleared her throat which broke Serena’s and my intense gaze, “Go now, don’t be late for sparring, one on the dot.”
“Yes maam.”
It was only about ten thirty, we had plenty of time.
It didn’t take all that long to put together some sandwiches, drinks, throw them in a cooler, grab a blanket, and head out the door…
The sun felt great on my skin, and the breeze was slightly cool but it was more than comfortably warm as the fireball in the sky rose towards its zenith. I was in a pair of jean shorts, and a casual shirt. Serena looked amazing, in a black and white flowing skirt that ended just above her knees, a pair of two inch heeled sandals, and a loose light blue blouse over a red halter top. I know I was biased, but she was mesmerizing.
“When did you come up with this?”
I shrugged, “This morning after class, when my long sleeve shirt was way too hot.”
She laughed, “So too hot equals picnic?”
I said, “Too hot plus Serena equals picnic. Plus, I was already trying to come up with our next date, it just worked out.”
She smiled, leaned across the blanket and claimed a warm but mostly chaste kiss. We were very aware of being in public, and a lot of other people must have gotten the same idea I did to take advantage of the final warm days of the year, because there were kids and families all over the place. We’d found a semi-private spot out of the way, but not so out of the way we felt comfortable with huge amounts of public affection.
We still showed some though, and the looks we exchanged were intimate enough as we talked and ate. We talked about movies, books, and hobbies, things we’d already spoken about in general, but new material. It was relaxing, and I got a little lost in it, and her. After we polished off our lunch, I had her sit in front of me, and started giving her a light massage as she leaned back against me. We just enjoyed the closeness, and I loved feeling her against me, and her scent was captivating as well.
I figured if I was waiting for a moment, this was it.
I gathered and played with her hair, and leaned forward to kiss the side of her neck once, and then whispered, “I love you Serena.”
My heart was racing, and I wondered why the bond wasn’t effective on this kind of fear, I felt nothing but calm in her presence in all other tense situations, exactly like I’d felt when bonded with Christina, but the answer was obvious. The magic was supposed to lead to the next generation of necromancer, not suppress any of the feelings that went along with loving someone, even the intense vulnerability I felt as I wondered if she would answer in kind. My heart was racing as it just hung there for a moment.
I’d understand of course, if she didn’t feel the same way yet, but it would still sting.
She was frozen for several moments, but then whipped her head around, and twisted her body to claim a deep passionate kiss. When it broke, she was smiling infectiously, perhaps beaming was called for as a description.
Her voice quavered, “I love you too Tom.”
I smiled and held her tight. Another step closer, but I reminded myself it was too soon, being mated for life after less than three weeks would be totally insane. But… that didn’t mean I didn’t want it, and while I’d be lying if I said a desire for sex hadn’t entered that equation at all, it was only one small part of the reason I wanted her as mine. She was perfect to me, even the stubborn handful part she’d showed me on occasion.
I caressed her cheek, and wiped a tear of joy away with my thumb. The love shone from her gorgeous cerulean eyes, and there was a deep vulnerability and longing in her that took my breath away, I wondered how I was worthy of it. I knew I had plenty of adoration for her in return.
I kissed her gently, and then she slowly turned back around and laid back against me. Her hands traced circles on my legs, while mine mostly behaved on her waist, hips, and stomach.
Then she broke the tender moment with a quip, “Damnit, I was going to say it first.”
I laughed… My Serena was very competitive, about everything it seemed…
Chapter Thirteen
Leda looked at me in challenge, “I think this will really help you develop faster. I know you have necromancy too, but that alone won’t win every time.”
I looked around again, there were wooden swords and daggers spread out around us. This was going to be sparring of every type, hand to hand, sword and dagger, just a sword, just a dagger, and using kicks and punches while wielding one weapon, and kicks while wielding both. It was supposed to teach me to use everything at hand at once, instead of merely depending on the weapon I wielded over the rest of my body.
After all, if I trained in each separately, that may make me limit myself to one thing in a fight, which was a bad idea. It made sense to train as I would fight, now that I had a solid grasp of all three things, I guess it was time to combine them. Four actually, if we included grappling. Timothy was putting the love of my life through a similar hell on the other side of the gym. It was going to be intense, and from the challenge in her eyes I was guessing it was also going to hurt. No pain no gain, right?
Underneath the challenge, I saw the true concern, and desire to keep me alive. Not only for myself, but for her daughter, and even for herself. That helped a bit.
“I trust you, and I told Timothy weeks ago, I’m not lazy, and I’ll work hard.”
She smiled, and then tried to snap kick me right in the face, but I managed to fall back and roll, picking up a dagger on the way up, only to find her holding a sword.
Crap, how is that fair?
Sh
e laughed, so my face must’ve been rather transparent. Then I lunged forward in a feint, but dropped at the last moment and swept her legs instead. She jumped over my leg, and wacked it at the same time with the practice sword.
I rolled and grabbed a sword, which she knocked out of my hand before I was fully upright. I managed to dodge the next two attacks, and picked up a second dagger instead and went on the attack. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to block her sword about five times in a row, though my counter swipes failed to hit her, my snap kick to her stomach sent her back far enough for me to dive for a sword and get back to my feet barely in time.
She had a wide grin on her face, both proud of me for tricking her, and obviously determined to never let it happen again.
An hour and a half later, I was dripping with sweat, and probably had about thirty bruises, all reminders of my mistakes. It had been intense, painful at times, but it had also been a rush, and kind of a blast. I’d only gotten her three times, including the kick I’d scored near the start, but it felt right. It was what I needed to reach parity with other Blood on the physical level.
Still, until then I had my necromancy as a crutch, but even after I was up to par I’d still be using it, it would be foolish not to.
Leda said, “That was decent I suppose, but you’ll improve fast. You pick things up quickly.”
I was a bellows, but finally caught my breath, “Thanks for the training.”
Leda grinned, “My pleasure. You aren’t much of a complainer, are you?”
I laughed, “No. Would it help if I did?”
Life wasn’t fair, and could be hard sometimes. I was stuck with a job and responsibilities I’d never asked for, or wanted. I glanced over to Serena, which reminded me life could also be very good.
Leda shook her head, but her grin widened, “No, and stop deflecting and take the damned compliment.”
“Yes maam, thank you,” I snapped to attention.
She snorted, and walked off. It was kind of weird, wasn’t the mother-in-law supposed to be a nightmare? Leda was becoming a friend. I also wondered what happened when all this was over? Would she ask to be sent home, or stay for a while? She’d had her time here on this world, and I kind of got the feeling inviting ancestors in for help and advice wasn’t an open-ended arrangement. Not because I lacked the power to keep her here, but because it would be unhealthy, wouldn’t it? I’d miss her when or if she went.
Serena came over, and leaned against me. I wrapped an arm around her.
“Do you think I’ll get to spar with my mom?”
I replied, “I doubt it.”
She looked at me sharply, so I explained the obvious.
“You’re her baby girl, she’d hold back, so I doubt she’ll even try. Maybe for fun, but not for training.”
Serena nodded, “I didn’t see that. But Timothy is going to kill me.”
I grinned, “I think your mom is worse,” I whispered confidentially. Truthfully it was probably a tie, they were both highly motivated to train us to the maximum extent, and both wickedly good at fighting.
Serena sighed, “Shower time.”
I nodded, ignoring the innuendo possibilities with that one. Too crude.
We shared a quick kiss, and walked back toward our suites, splitting up when we got there…
There was some bad and some good news about the patrol. After the weekend from hell, it was still too warm out for a jacket that evening, which meant I was in jeans, a loose collared shirt, and boots. All we had with us was daggers.
The good news, at least for me, was the warm night meant Serena wore another loose skirt, this one a dark blue stopping a couple of inches above the knees, with calf high black boots, and a loose mostly unbuttoned yellow blouse with a black body conforming half-shirt underneath which left her abdomen bare, but also teasingly covered by the bottom of the tied blouse, offering only hints of skin. She looked, dazzling in it, or at least, she dazzled me.
Judging by her satisfied, cat got the cream expression when I first laid eyes on her, I was pretty sure that had been her plan from the start, as my reaction pleased her greatly, even as it made her blush. I figured for the next six months or so I probably wouldn’t see any more skirts, so I might as well enjoy the view of her long and athletically toned legs tonight, no doubt they’d be covered up by jeans for a long time to come.
Sure, women wore skirts year around, and dealt with the cold between warm places, but not when they had to spend three or four hours in the freezing cold on patrol. I also needed to enjoy the blushes now, because I was sure it was just a matter of time until she got used to seeing the desire I felt for her.
There were a lot more people walking around as well, the warm weather bringing everyone out, walking between dorms slowly, or just standing around chatting as the sun went down. That was pretty much the first few hours of our patrol, as we held hands, walked slowly and closely together, and chatted lightly about anything that came to mind.
If Matt or Christina were here, it would have driven them nuts, but we were paying attention, at all times, and I had my magical radar as well. No matter how casual we looked and acted, we were always ready to act on a split second’s notice, and our situational awareness was sharp.
We were walking through, and then around the center of campus, rinse and repeat. It could get dull at times, and of course we were stopped a few times by people that recognized me and made some small talk. But it was on one of the outer circuits when I heard my name.
“Tom Daniels.”
The voice was a bit sibilant, and it had come out of the shadows over between two buildings. We stopped and turned in that direction. It was a bit creepy, and didn’t sound quite human.
“Who’s there,” I challenged.
“We wish to speak with you, about the future. I am called Aerelon, we have not come to fight.”
A Fae? Here in the city?
We stepped warily closer as I raised a necromantic shield around us both. We didn’t need to discuss it, or even look at each other, as we released our hands and split apart as we moved a few feet apart. I was tempted to draw my dagger, but had the creature really come to talk?
As we got closer I made out the speaker, and it was a shock. The shifters may have acted inhuman, but they still looked human. I’d heard the tale, and believed it, but that hadn’t prepared me for the reality. The Fae were from another world, an alien world. Their faces by the cheekbones and forehead were thinner than a human’s, which made their eyes look wrong, too close together. Worse than that, their faces concaved inward past the cheek bones, making their mouth and nose on a much thinner face, and their heads rested on a very skinny short neck. They had hair on their heads, but in the shadows all I could tell was it was dark, but they had no facial hair at all. Their arms were thinner as well, ending in a hand with six fingers.
I’d known they were alien, and I tried not to recoil and to act naturally, but I honestly wasn’t sure how well I pulled it off. If they read micro-expressions, I was busted. I was sure I’d get used to it, next time I met one I’d do better, and I tried to remember these guys were reportedly much more intelligent than humans. They also had magic, but I couldn’t feel it, like I could feel a witch’s or another necromancer’s.
Which made me wonder, was it because their magic was different, and my mind couldn’t hear the energy of their magic. It was possible, after all I couldn’t feel electricity either, not unless it was close.
“What do you want?” I asked coldly, reminding myself these assholes had tried to kill me three nights in a row last week. I guessed they’d decided what their next move was, I just wished I knew what it was as well. Still, prudence meant hearing them out, then I could tell them to screw off.
He said, “An arrangement, an agreement.”
Serena asked, “Of what nature?”
Aerelon said, “We are a long-lived race, but not that long. We live for just over eight hundred years, just a little over twice your lifespans. We’ve i
nherited the… mess of our forefathers. We no longer wish to rule, as your report talks about, the humans and their technology means that we must… look to survival only. Yet, we fear the other supernatural races responses, they may blame us for the actions of our ancestors.”
I frowned, that almost sounded reasonable.
“So, what is it that you want?”
Aerelon replied, “We will back you up, and work on the council in saving your necromancer race, and letting them join us in the light. To do so, we only need push the necessary information. All they need to know is that a way forward for peace and restoration has been found. The rest should remain hidden, lest the races try to avenge themselves on us unjustly.”
It… he I mean, seemed to be telling the truth. I honestly wasn’t sure, I didn’t feel a lie, but I didn’t feel the truth of it with judgement either. Had the Fae found a way to block that magical ability? That was… annoying for me, and frightening in its implications. How long had they been snowing the council?
It was also too late, the shifters knew the full truth already, and all the Blood would know by tomorrow at noon, but I couldn’t exactly tell him that. It didn’t matter though, because I wouldn’t accept that deal.
I said, “I can compromise, but I won’t lie by omission to all the races. I would be willing to speak out on your behalf, the originators of this deception are long dead, there will be no revenge through war. But you can’t do the right thing by lying, it’s the same mistake your ancestors made. They made it in anger and in lust for rule. You would make the same error in fear and in your greed to keep your current standing. I cannot agree to that.”
I was sure it was the right decision, but there was one nagging doubt. What if the shadow of war was all the other races wanting vengeance on the Fae? Yet, that still didn’t change anything. Revelation and restoring old knowledge was supposed to be necessary to fix this, and move to saving the necromancer race instead of killing them.
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