Frank Kurns Boxed Set

by Natalie Grey

  “You see it too,” Alexi guessed. “They are trying to trap the wolves.”

  She could only nod.

  Once she would have thought that this was simply a coward’s way of trying to control the forest. People feared what they could not understand, be that bears or wolves…or even thunderstorms at one time.

  Now, knowing what she knew about Wechselbags and having seen the world through different eyes herself, these traps sickened Ecaterina.

  Still, she tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, “Has it been a bad year for wolves?”

  Sometimes in lean years, the wolves turned to poaching livestock when there was no game to be found in the forests. And while a well-fed wolf would always avoid habitations, there had been times when starving wolves would prey on humans. Those stories endured.

  But Alexi shook his head. “No. There are many deer. If the wolves have snatched even a chicken, I have not heard about it.”

  “So why?” Ecaterina demanded. “Why set traps up in the high snow? Why set them in the runs between the deer dens? What could they gain?”

  “Pelts,” Alexi said simply.

  “They want the fur?” Ecaterina was furious. She had done her best to believe that this was not the case, but it was true.

  “It is the only answer. I have checked the traps and sometimes they are gone. The bodies are not left. I also see fewer signs of wolves. They know, I think.”

  Ecaterina’s hand fisted, and she tried to flatten it on the table without any success. With her emotions high, a shift was threatening.

  Alexi, a Wechselbag since birth, understood this well.

  “Patience,” he advised.

  Her head whipped around and she glared at him, only to have him laugh.

  “Do you truly think that with this much anger and all the cunning you have had since you were a child you will not stop this? That is what I mean by patience, Ecaterina. Have faith in yourself.”

  Her shoulders slumped and she laughed. “That is a good way to say things. Thank you, Unchi.”

  A few minutes later, Ecaterina slipped upstairs to kiss Christina and Nathan goodbye. Christina had slipped out of her own bed before Ecaterina left for the morning, to nestle between her parents. Now, she was curled up on Ecaterina’s side of the bed, her fine hair spread across the pillow, her face peaceful in sleep.

  Nathan propped himself up on one elbow sleepily. “Where’re you going?”

  “Out into the forest with Alexi.” Ecaterina smiled at him.

  “I know that smile.” Nathan sat up with a groan and rubbed his face. “You’re going to go rain hellfire down on those trappers, aren’t you?” He threw the covers aside. “I’ll come with you.”

  Ecaterina was laughing, “Go back to sleep. No hellfire this time, I promise.”

  Nathan looked at her suspiciously.

  Ecaterina held up a hand solemnly. “I promise. We’re just going to look at the traps and see if we can find anything out about who set them. We don’t plan to be seen at all.”

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in Bethany Anne’s service—”

  “Oh, come on—”

  “It’s that things never go according to plan and we bring the wrath of God down on people regularly.”

  “Mmmhmm.” Ecaterina leaned over the bed to kiss him. “And I promise I’ll bring you along on any mission to scare the crap out of these people.” Christina had started to wake up, and Ecaterina ruffled her hair. “There’s coffee and eggs and pastries downstairs. Have a great breakfast!”

  “But—”

  Ecaterina was already gone.

  Grumbling, Nathan kissed his daughter good morning and headed for the stairs. “Come downstairs when you want breakfast, munchkin.”

  Pastries did sound good.

  To his surprise, he found Yelena already up and about. She smiled at him and poured him a cup of coffee before pushing the plate of pastries his way for him to select one.

  “Why are you already up?” Nathan asked. “Are you one of those disgustingly cheerful morning people? We may have a problem, if so.”

  Yelena laughed—not a good sign, in Nathan’s opinion—but shook her head. “I’m not. Well, I didn’t used to be before Bellatrix, but now I guess I do wake up early.”

  “Oh?” Nathan settled down at the table and picked a square pastry that smelled of cheese.

  “I think…” Yelena’s voice trailed off and she hunched her shoulders awkwardly.

  Nathan frowned.

  To his surprise, Yelena laughed again. “I’m so used to feeling embarrassed about this because people would think I was crazy, but you’ll believe me! I wake up when Bellatrix does. There’s a link there.”

  Nathan nodded. Those who were descended from Wechselbags, like Yelena, often had experiences in their early lives they could not explain to others. Some, with family guidance, could channel their talents into useful pursuits, even if they were not Wechselbag, themselves. Yelena, however, had not been so lucky in her family.

  Nathan shook his head regretfully, “It must have been hard for you, not knowing what was going on.”

  Yelena considered this, taking a bite of her own cheese pastry. “In some ways, yes,” she agreed finally. “Cipriano would never have understood, I know. He was my ex-boyfriend. I didn’t tell a lot of people about Bellatrix for that reason. But I had her, you see, and that made it easier.”

  Nathan nodded, his eyes distant.

  “What are you thinking about?” Yelena asked him.

  “There were legends across the world of druids and shamans who could speak to animals,” Nathan explained. “And some about warriors who had animals as their familiars and fighting partners. I wonder if they were from the Wechselbalg lines like you.”

  “I hadn’t ever thought of that.” Yelena gazed out the door to where Bellatrix and Ashur were dashing around the garden at high speed. “That would make sense. Perhaps they could not even explain it. Sometimes I questioned my abilities with Bellatrix because I didn’t know how I knew things.”

  Nathan smiled and nodded.

  “So where did Ecaterina go?” Yelena questioned Nathan. “She looked very happy.”

  “She is going out to track down the trappers,” Nathan replied. “She says that she and Alexi will only be observing the traps today, not hunting the ones who set them…but I have my doubts.”

  “You are not worried?” Yelena was surprised by this.

  She was further surprised when Nathan chuckled. “Ecaterina can take care of herself. And Alexi is also a Wechselbag—he takes a bear form.”

  “Bear?” Yelena asked incredulously.

  “Oh, yes.” Nathan smiled. “And both can fight quite well, so I suppose we shall see what happens.”

  Yelena considered. She had been excited to accompany Ashur and Bellatrix on the trip to Romania. Though Yelena was not someone who particularly enjoyed hiking or other outdoor pursuits, she knew that Bellatrix would be overjoyed to be able to race around in the wilderness.

  She had also been looking forward to getting to know the others on this trip. She had learned a little about the members of Bethany Anne’s team, but she wanted to know more. Each of them had a story to tell.

  Each of them had a strong sense of honor, too—something she was not used to in an organization so big.

  Now she was getting a chance to learn about each of them. She smiled and sipped her coffee, utterly content.

  She did not know it, but Nathan was watching her. Even though Nathan was no longer a second-in-command, he still retained the desire to vet each new member of the organization.

  He approved of Yelena. He had been impressed by the way she cared for Bellatrix, even when she did not understand the bond she shared with the dog. He had heard the stories about her, and had even shared in some of the speculation about her and Bobcat.

  In his opinion, she would make a good addition to the group, as long as she could come to terms with the self-sufficient independent streak ea
ch member had.

  He was not particularly worried about that, though. Yelena seemed to direct her worry toward other people, not herself. He’d heard that even outmatched, she’d done some real damage to her jerk of an ex-boyfriend.

  In time, she would learn that other people could take care of themselves too.

  He stood up. “Should we go see the town? I’ll get Christina if so.”

  “I’d like that.” Yelena nodded and sipped at her coffee as Nathan took the stairs two at a time, and came back in time with Christina all dressed. They picked a pastry for the little girl, and all headed outside.

  It was a beautiful day. Yelena tipped her head back into the sunshine for a moment, and then waved at the fence, where a group of passing men had stopped to look at the dogs. “Hello!”

  They waved back and disappeared hurriedly.

  Yelena shook her head, suddenly worried. “Maybe we should leave the dogs here.”

  “Why?” Nathan frowned back at her.

  “People are always afraid of Bellatrix,” Yelena explained. “In my home village people knew me, and they knew I worked at the kennels and my dogs were always well trained, so they trusted Bellatrix. Here they do not know me. I don’t want to make anyone upset.”

  “Good point.” Nathan smiled at the dogs. “And they seem quite happy here. Listen up, you two,” he called to the dogs. “We’re heading into town. Try not to eat too many bees.”

  Ashur chuffed indignantly, and Nathan laughed as he and Yelena made their way through the gate and into town.

  Chapter 4

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds

  Stephen emerged from a shower, his dark brown hair still drying, to find Jennifer curled up in one of the armchairs with his copy of Master and Commander. She was frowning in concentration.

  “What’s a ‘minim?’” she asked him.

  “A single drop,” Stephen explained. “It’s a unit of measure.”

  “Did people really used to say that instead?”

  “Language used to be less…regimented.” Stephen shrugged. “People spelled things all different ways and used different words for things all over the place.”

  “Really? I thought…” She chewed her lip. “I guess I thought language used to be more formal.”

  Stephen laughed, “Not really. Remember, people didn’t travel as much. It wasn’t uncommon for people to be stuck in the same place with the same people all their lives. Even in a city, they often kept to their same class or ghetto or wherever, so they developed their own ways of speaking.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Jennifer watched as he put on a suit. “Where are you headed to, all dressed up?”

  “Nowhere special. I’m listening in on a conference call for this seed vault Bethany Anne started.”

  Jennifer grinned and shook her head. “So why are you wearing a suit?”

  She already knew his answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.

  He gave her a dignified look. “After so many weeks covered in dust and blood, I wanted to look nice for a change.”

  “You look very nice covered in dust and blood,” Jennifer told him with a grin. “All sweaty, in a shirt I can see your muscles in...”

  Stephen adjusted his tie without comment, but he smiled into the mirror as he did so.

  “Although you do look quite nice in a suit as well,” Jennifer told him. She grinned. “It’s just that I feel like a slob, still being in my pajamas.”

  “I think you’ve earned a good few days in pajamas,” Stephen told her as he stooped to kiss her. “And a good few bubble baths. And champagne. And maybe a nice dinner tonight, hmm?”

  Jennifer grinned up at him. “I like that idea. And I think I might just go take a bubble bath, then. Unless you think I should be on the conference call?”

  Stephen shook his head. “This was specifically mentioned as a project for relaxation. I’m only going because I’m curious.” He headed for the door with a rueful smile. “It’s certainly a nice break after our last few projects.”

  “Yes, I don’t think many seeds are homicidal maniacs determined to create a new world order by subjugating Wechselbalg,” Jennifer quipped.

  Stephen was laughing as he slipped out the door. “Exactly.”

  He made his way through the hallways quickly. Every time he came back here it seemed there was more progress on the base ship. It was becoming a fine place to live, almost a self-sufficient city.

  The seed vault intrigued him for this reason, as well as what it represented: a slice of home they would take with them when they left.

  He knew now that he was part-Kurtherian, a product of the universe beyond Earth, but Earth was all he had ever known and at heart he was human. He had wondered sometimes if he would miss Earth when they left to go through the gate.

  Maybe Bethany Anne was wondering the same thing.

  Marcus laughed as he settled back in his chair, “That cannot possibly be true.”

  “It is!” Tabitha exclaimed, clearly insulted to be doubted. “She’s very sneaky!”

  “You’re telling me that Gabrielle killed several commandos in Buenos Aires while wearing Louboutins?” Marcus shook his head and took another sip of his beer. “No way.”

  “Vampires are less constrained by the limitations of the physical form,” Barnabas said gravely. “Gabrielle is able to move more quickly than a human, even when she is wearing high heels.” He frowned as he took a sip of his own beer. “Of course, such affectations are not helpful to her any more than they are to a human.”

  Tabitha rolled her eyes, “You don’t think so? Every man there who saw her immediately decided she wasn’t a threat. That gave her an opening.”

  “When one can move as quickly as Gabrielle can, an opening is not as necessary.” Barnabas looked grave.

  “Maybe she just likes being sneaky, then,” Tabitha said. She gave an impish grin, “You know, like you do.”

  Marcus gave a low whistle. “Oh, really?”

  “I beg your pardon,” Barnabas said, with great dignity. “I am not sneaky.”

  “You are too sneaky,” Tabitha said. She gave Marcus a knowing look. “He loves tricking people.”

  “Tabitha—”

  “He likes tricking them by behaving in ways that help them make unwise assumptions,” Tabitha continued in a stage whisper. “And then he says that if they weren’t so hasty, if they just took more time to examine the issue, they wouldn’t have been tricked.”

  “Tabitha!”

  “Hmm?” Tabitha looked innocently at Barnabas. “Am I wrong?”

  Barnabas gave her a look. “I do not employ cheap trickery.”

  Tabitha considered this. “I wouldn’t call it cheap,” she said finally.

  “Tabitha!”

  Marcus wished he hadn’t taken a sip of beer. He was trying desperately to keep it from going up his nose as he laughed, and it was only with great effort that he managed not to spit it down his front.

  His laughter only got worse when Barnabas gave him an aggrieved look.

  “You should teach me how to do that,” he suggested. “It sounds useful. Make people rely on incorrect assumptions so they hamstring themselves instead of me having to do it for them. It sounds like a neat trick.”

  “It is not a trick,” Barnabas insisted with great dignity.

  “It’s definitely a trick,” Tabitha whispered loudly.

  “It is not a competitor’s duty to explain to his competition that incorrect assumptions have been made, after all.”

  “Even when you encouraged them to make those assumptions,” Tabitha continued, still in her loud whisper.

  “I will box your ears,” Barnabas told her.

  “I don’t even know what that means.”

  “You’re about to.” Barnabas gave her an eerily calm smile.

  Tabitha shut up.

  “Now, as I was saying,” Barnabas looked at Marcus, “a competitor can always benefit from another’s incorrect assumptions. Perhaps you might, i
n this case. However, the true measure of a competitor is in his own actions, not in others’ failures. Simply execute each stage of your brewing correctly, and you will be most of the way to winning.”

  “Right,” Marcus agreed mournfully.

  It seemed like Barnabas was absolutely determined to make Marcus win this without any tricks at all.

  But he doubted that he could succeed against the other two without them.

  Maybe Tabitha would teach him how to use Barnabas’ tricks…

  Bethany Anne looked up with a smile as Stephen came into the room, “How are you doing?”

  “Very well, thank you.” Stephen nodded and took a chair, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat. “It is good to be back.”

  Bethany Anne nodded, “Especially after a mission like that, I would think.”

  “Exactly.” Stephen shook his head slightly. “Every time I think I understand people...”

  Bethany Anne opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it. It sounded as if Stephen’s experiences in Europe had brought him some new conclusions, and perhaps he needed to speak them rather than have a conversation.

  Though none of her team were naïve—by a long shot—everyone had been shocked and horrified by what Stephen and Jennifer had uncovered in Europe. A man named Hugo Marcari had, in a maniacal quest for power, abducted whole clans of Wechselbalg and attempted to break them to his will so he could build his own personal army.

  It wasn’t the lust for power or even the cruelty that bothered Bethany Anne. Oh, she would fight and die to save the world from those things, but she was not surprised by them. Neither, she suspected, was Stephen. It was something about the meticulous planning and the sheer breadth of the cruelty that had shocked her.

  She did not say any of this.

  She wanted to hear Stephen speak of it first. She liked to hear his thoughts on the world. He always had insights that surprised her—or reminded her of her values.

  Stephen seemed almost unaware that she was still there. He was gazing at the far wall with a frown on his face.