Switching Witches

by Robyn Peterman

  She couldn’t recall anything about what had happened in the cave before she got knocked out, but for damn sure, she’d found something while in there.

  Or something had found her.

  Now what was it intending to do with her?

  Chapter Three

  In Axel of Rodu’s Catskill Mountain lair…

  * * *

  Like most felines he’d come across on the planet, Axel liked being where he wanted to be and only when he wanted to be there. After trying many places to live in his six hundred years of life, this private sanctuary hidden deep in a forest was the only location where he’d ever felt truly at peace with himself.

  His current residence wasn’t his favorite jungle vacation spot or the desert lands his feline mother favored. The mountain base hideout he called home in the Catskill Mountains of New York was evergreen and blessedly free of most creatures he didn’t want to see.

  “Max, fetch,” Axel demanded in a loud voice, throwing a limb he’d broken off of a nearby fallen tree.

  When the wolf didn’t run as instructed, Axel looked down at the creature who huffed indignantly at his feet.

  “We had a deal, Maxwell,” Axel said, pointing at where the stick had landed. “Do you want me to send you back to your pack and let them carry out your punishment? You know that staying here means you agree to be my pet for the duration.”

  The unhappy wolf whined, hung his head, and stared at the ground. When his head lifted, the creature sent back a reply.

  You may consider yourself a cat, Axel, but I do not consider myself a dog.

  “The full moon arrives Thursday, Max. Fetch the stick for me like a good wolf, and perhaps I will allow you to shift to human then—for a few hours at least.”

  The wolf’s head came up swiftly. Max took off running to where the stick had landed. Axel snorted as his reluctant detainee sent him a disgusted look before snatching up the piece of wood in his mouth.

  Max started back toward him, glaring his wolf eyes, then suddenly dropped the stick and ran off with a whimper.

  “Maxwell! We weren’t finished. Get back here with that stick,” Axel shouted.

  “Axel, stop yelling at that poor creature you’re tormenting. Is that any way for a Lyran prince to act?”

  Axel swung and stared at the ascended Lyran feline standing behind him. Great. How long had she been watching?

  “Queen Nyomi,” he said, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. He knew he was in more trouble when she sighed loudly.

  “Thirty hours of childbirth to bring you into this life and all I get from my son is normal deference? I get that from everyone. Stand up and hug me, Axel. Prove I chose your Earthling father well.”

  Axel rose and started toward her only to be stopped by a raised hand and twitching ears. “Not in your purely human form while we’re talking business. I can only handle your father in that condition.”

  “Right,” Axel said automatically, shifting his human skin until his face more closely resembled hers. Now they both looked like they belonged to the feline branch of the Lyran race they were descended from. At his mother’s approving nod, Axel moved forward and embraced the female who’d given birth to him. “I am glad to see you, Mother. It’s been nearly a year since you visited me.”

  “Yes, it’s been too long,” Nyomi agreed solemnly, hugging her eldest child of Rodu tightly before pushing him away. “I’ve been swamped with royal duties while you’ve been amusing yourself here in your lair. I wish this was a purely social visit, but I came today because I have another little matter I need you to take care of for me.”

  “Another little matter?” Axel repeated the request with a snort, releasing her arms to laugh. “Your little matters are never little, Mother. I almost got decapitated solving your little matter last time.”

  “I admit I underestimated Lord Garmin’s viciousness, but I could not allow my favorite human to be killed while regenerating. Your father helped me bring a true Lyran prince into this often barbaric, ungrateful world. Of all the humans walking his planet, your father deserves as many lives as my people can give him.”

  Axel inclined his head once. “I honor the human male who helped create me which is precisely why I ended Lord Garmin’s life.”

  Nyomi purred in pleasure. “Yes, my son is the most feared creature on both our planets…” She stopped and made a face. “Or at least you were until recently.”

  Axel lifted a brow. “That’s an extraordinarily strange comment even for you, my queen. You made sure no one was trained better than me. Who is deadlier?”

  Nyomi looked off, her small ears twitching again. “No one intentionally but I think someone has found one of Athena the Ancient’s sentient blades.”

  “Sentient blades?” Axel repeated in surprise. “Most believe they are a myth, especially the sentient part. You’re talking about advanced artificial intelligence. My sister’s advances in that area exceed any Earth human’s or Lyran’s. Not even Gina of Rodu has found a way to make that work. ”

  Nyomi shook her regal head. “The sentient blades are not a myth, Axel. I don’t know how well your teachers covered those artifacts in your Ancient Earth History classes, but the blades are weapons from a time on Earth before the feline Lyran Guardians came here to live. Lyran records show evidence of some very sophisticated weaponry being developed long before Earth’s current history began being recorded.”

  Axel nodded that he heard. “As I recall, Athena’s blades were developed for warriors. Why would one of them want to join with a mere archaeologist?”

  Nyomi’s mouth lifted on one corner. “It’s true that Lyran records say the blades were only sentient after they were joined with the highest and noblest of warriors. However, Earth legends of the blades are not so clear on the matter. Maybe Athena’s creation was desperate to be joined to a host after twenty thousand years of dormancy.”

  Axel rubbed his chin. “Do you wish me to subdue the blade and send it back into hibernation?”

  Nyomi stared at her son and fought not to be impatient with the child who was supposed to be grooming himself to replace her. “Would you willingly return to a lifeless existence of never having been born?”

  Since he had no wish to offend his mother… or his queen, Axel shook his head. “No, I suppose not,” he said.

  Nyomi walked a short distance and glanced out into the trees. “I’m guessing neither will the blade now that it’s awake again. It’s a very powerful artifact—I fear much more powerful than even you. This situation must be handled very carefully. Current Earth may be primitive, but there is much about its technological past that we do not yet know.”

  Axel nodded once in acknowledgment though he had trouble imagining anything or anyone alive on the planet being more powerful than he was. He told himself it wasn’t arrogance to feel that way. He just hadn’t seen any evidence that pointed away from his conclusion about his worth as a warrior.

  “What would you like me to do about it then?” Axel finally asked.

  Because the matter was so serious, Nyomi turned to look in her son’s eyes as she answered. “The archaeologist who found the blade is still finding out what comes with living with such power. Every greedy group on the planet is hunting the blade’s new host—both human and paranormal factions. The blade must remain where it is until its champion has either bonded with it completely or died trying to.”

  Axel winced internally. Death from finding an ancient artifact? That would certainly be a tough break for a nosy archaeologist, he decided as he listened to his queen.

  “I’m guessing you want me to be the human’s bodyguard until the human and the blade part company.”

  Nyomi laughed. “So you do understand—thank the ancestors. Yes, Axel, I want you to guard the blade. More than that though, I was hoping you would attempt to train its human host to be a warrior. The initial joining is done. All we can do now is try to make the human at least a little worthy of the entity she carries.”

 
“She?” Axel repeated it as a question, his mouth forming an ironic smile. “In my studies, they said the sentient blades were created for males.”

  “No—they said they were created for warriors.”

  “Which were primarily male,” Axel insisted.

  “Your studies were based on general information about a very advanced Earth culture that disappeared thousands of years ago. What few records we’ve found are not enough to assume any one thing is right one hundred percent of the time, especially about gender roles.”

  “Agreed,” Axel said with a reluctant shrug. “So who do you think Athena the Ancient was then? Was she a warrior?”

  “From my studies, I have come to believe that Athena was not from Earth at all. Whatever her planetary origin, it’s likely that she was considered some sort of warrior by the Earth people of her time. But even if she was just an extremely advanced human, there are always exceptions. You are an exception among Lyrans.”

  “But a woman warrior that powerful…” Axel began and then stopped to shake his head.

  He had several sisters who were brilliant and fierce, but he didn’t think of them as warriors like himself. In fact—what did he think about women fighting? Undoubtedly, nothing his queen would approve of.

  Sighing in frustration, Nyomi’s disappointed gaze slid over her mega-intelligent, but clueless son. “I see skepticism in your eyes and it makes me very angry at you. The Lyrans—our people, Axel—chose me to be Earth’s primary guardian, not any Lyran male. They chose me because I was an intelligent, fair-minded warrior who was willing to do whatever it took to see the humans of Earth progress in a way that fosters planetary peace in our shared galaxy.”

  Axel lowered his gaze. “Forgive me, my queen. I meant no disrespect to you or your talents.”

  Nyomi huffed. “I always do forgive you, but perhaps that is your problem. I should have insisted you mate Rian centuries ago. Living with a full Lyran female mate might have corrected that gender-biased selfishness you’ve developed from consorting with those weak-minded human females you favor.”

  “Despite the genetics of my human father, my sexuality is Lyran. I prefer brief partners who serve a practical purpose when sharing my bed. I do not think my DNA includes the ability to love any female—Earthling or Lyran—the way a human male like my father is obviously capable of doing.”

  Queen Nyomi snarled in disbelief. “Really? What about the human female who runs that agency you align with? You felt something more than lust for her.”

  Axel grunted and turned away. “It fluttered through my chest briefly and passed before I even recognized it was a genuine attraction. I do think it was a pity that she chose those two stone idiots as mates. What a waste of womanhood.”

  “Gargoyles aren’t real stone,” she reminded him. “Remember that each gargoyle’s soul remains human regardless of the change to the original container. The ancient magic that created their bodies is to be respected just as much as the incredible power that forged the sentient blade you’re getting ready to encounter. Disrespect of such power is for ignorant humans. It is not something a Lyran Earth Guardian can indulge in, not even in jest.”

  “I concede to your greater wisdom about ancient Earth magic, but I know my mind quite well when it comes to my sexual needs. I have no urge to mate permanently with any female and I find no fault with the way I have chosen to meet them,” Axel said, bowing his head.

  “Oh, my dear boy, your sexual selfishness is nothing but male self-delusion. One day you will learn that truth. I hope it happens soon.”

  “And I hope that it never happens at all,” Axel said calmly.

  Tired of her and Axel’s debate, Nyomi pulled her mind back to the real reason she came to see her son. “We could argue your eventual epiphany for hours, but unfortunately, we have more important things to discuss today. That agency you pretend to work for is going to be calling you soon.”

  “Are you for certain?”

  Nyomi glared at her son. “Yes. The archaeologist who found the blade has gone to them for help. Take the assignment and bring the blade’s host here to your lair. But do not seek to sexually dominate the female host of the blade, Axel. If the blade sees you as its host’s enemy, it will likely not hesitate to end your life.”

  “What happens if I fail to keep its female host alive? Will I have to fight the blade on her death?”

  “I do not know what would happen in that instance. The ancient records say when a blade’s host expires, it returns to Athena’s original form for it. Now that so many know the archaeologist discovered something that gives its owner enormous power, hiding the blade will be next to impossible. The new host must be kept alive and trained if possible.”

  “You say she’s still bonding with it though?”

  “There are layers to the symbiosis process. She’s survived the first few so far. You must take special care of her until it completes.” Nyomi paced away and looked off. “If this seems too much to bother with your wolf-sitting schedule, I can have the female collected by your father. I am willing to train her myself if there’s a chance to align our people with the host of the blade.”

  “There is no need for you to risk yourself, Mother. When have I ever refused a request from my queen?”

  “Should we discuss Rian again?” Nyomi asked with a smirk.

  Axel frowned and shook his head. “No, but I do have one other question. Why must we accept responsibility for the trouble this human has gotten herself into with her curiosity?”

  Nyomi lifted a hand. “How can a naturally curious feline ask such a ridiculous question? That must come from your human side. This is an example of the exact selfishness I keep hoping you will one day outgrow.”

  “I fail to see how preferring to mind my own business is selfish. I think it’s smart.”

  Nyomi growled in displeasure. “We could easily turn our backs and leave the blade’s host to her fate, but do you want her being corrupted by those seeking to control the weapon? Do you want to fight the blade’s host as an enemy one day or fight at her side as her ally? She is no doubt frightened by what has happened to her. I promise you that someone will manage to get close to her if we do not.”

  Axel nodded. “Again, I concede to your greater wisdom. Not being a fool, of course, I would prefer the host of the sentient blade to be an ally.”

  “Good. I want you to at least try to befriend the woman. Teach her to save herself if you can. That sort of benefaction is not something a human will ever forget. If we are lucky, your friendship may align her with our more noble causes in protecting this planet.”

  That hadn’t crossed his mind, but his mother was probably right. Axel bowed his head in respect. “I will do as you ask, my queen. I will train the woman if she agrees.”

  “Of course, you will,” Nyomi purred.

  She walked back to where her son stood stoically yet mildly annoyed with her still. She lifted a hand to his handsome feline face and watched it change under her fingers to its other natural form. It was nearly a mirror image of the only human male she’d ever managed to love in all her time on Earth. His father was also the single male of any race who’d ever held her heart.

  “The other children of Rodu are not like you, Axel. Your siblings were born either feline or human, but not both. Your ability to morph among the two is a great gift. I was over a thousand years old before I could shift my form. I hope one day you understand just how blessed you are to have had the ability since birth.”

  “If I am blessed, it is to be Queen Nyomi’s beloved son. That is all I need to appreciate my happy existence.”

  She laughed as her hand dropped away.

  “Oh, if only those words were true and not just something you incorrectly assume I want to hear. I wish you’d gotten a little more of your father’s irreverence.”

  “Weren’t you chastising me for that very thing just moments ago?”

  Nyomi chuckled. “When Rodu says anything to me, at least I know his words are
completely sincere. To this day, I find his directness quite refreshing. Why do you think I keep insisting he extend his human life? Your father keeps saying humans aren’t meant to be so old, but it’s not like I leave him old. After regenerating, he looks as young as you.”

  She smiled at her pleasant thoughts of Rodu as she moved away from her eldest child. “Guard the new Protector until she comes into her own, Axel. Doing so is a better use of your time than torturing that poor wolf.”

  Axel nodded. “Minding the wolf is merely something to keep me from being bored. I trust your judgment about the blade’s host and will heed it. To the best of my ability, I will do what you have asked.”

  Nyomi felt her face lift in joy at his words. “Thank you, my son. May happiness find you until we see each other again.”

  “May happiness find you as well, Mother.”

  Axel lifted a hand to wave as his mother created a ball of molecular energy around herself and lifted from the ground. Only fully ascended felines possessed the gift of transporting in that manner, but such power over the elements didn’t manifest until a Lyran was over three thousand years old.

  As he watched her leave, it suddenly occurred to him that he actually didn’t know how old his mother was. He wondered if his father knew. Come to think of it, he didn’t know how old his human father was either. Their actual ages weren’t something he'd ever concerned himself with knowing. His parents were, well, just his parents.

  The idea of being with one person for more than a week or two alarmed him. He couldn’t imagine spending several hundred years, much less a millennium, bedding only one female.

  He looked down as something hit his foot. It was Max dropping the long-forgotten stick across his shoe. The wolf sat at his feet stoically with his large wolf eyes full of concern.

  Axel shrugged in answer before he spoke. “Looks like I have another human pain in the ass to babysit which means you do too, Maxwell. Come on. Let’s go collect her before those do-gooders at Psych Central get too involved.”