Weiss made a grand gesture for us to proceed. “So now
you’ll murder me and go back to feeding on humans like we’re cattle.” He was
trying to sound tough, but his veneer was wearing thin.
I leaned into his space and he flinched backward. “The
only murderer here is you.”
The office door thumped open and General Maddox joined us,
preceded by a ruffled and confused looking man in a wrinkled suit. He had
pulled his boots on without lacing them, and they flopped as he walked, leaving
chunks of packed snow behind. “Mr. President,” he said, a deep line appearing
between his warm hazel colored eyes. “What in the name of the Gods is going
on?”
Weiss made a sour face. “What does it look like, dumb
shit?”
That woke the sliver-haired senator. He shook himself
free of Maddox’s grip and straightened to his meager, but solid, height. “It
looks like the rumors were true.”
I sighed and stood, moving out of the president’s personal
space. His stale fear stank. “Nice to meet you Senator Collins, my name is
Wren Varg, and this is Ville Wei.”
The senator took my hand automatically, his own chilly
from the cold night air. “Do I want to know why I’m here in the middle of the
night?” I noted that he wasn’t recoiling in fear from the non-humans around
him, like some humans in his position would. My eyes slid toward the President.
Ville clapped him on the shoulder. “I think maybe you
do.” Senator Collin was known as a pacifist, and had supported many pro-peace
movements on the human side of things. He was also expected to be the Weiss’
biggest competition in the upcoming election. An election that would no longer
take place.
Weiss drummed his fingers on his desk. “I’m being
replaced, senator.” He said the word like you would say “dog turd.”
Marshall shook his head. “Even people within your
government are ignorant of the extent of your depravity?”
The senator raised his eyebrows and leveled a look at the
president. “But I don’t think anyone will have trouble believing it.”
“Logan, Maddox, Marshall- please escort the ex-president
to the car and take him to lock-up before someone kills him,” I tried to keep
the smile out of my voice, but I couldn’t help it. Weiss turned a mottled red
then blanched white, but didn’t speak as the men hauled him out the door and
into the swirling snow.
Ville gestured toward the recently vacated office chair.
“Please have a seat Mr. Collin. There are some things we need to talk about.”
Collin’s calmness surprised me. I could sense his
confusion and a hint of fear, all masked by a simmering anger directed at his
predecessor, but he calmly walked to the desk and sat down. I raised an
eyebrow as he bent to rummage around in the bottom drawer of the desk. He
produced a silver flask. Uncorking it, he took a big swig, re-capped it, and tucked
it away.
“By all means,” he said evenly, “let’s have that chat.”
*****
When we left the president’s office, the sun was creeping
over the horizon and the room was teaming with newspaper reporters. The humans
wouldn’t notice, but some of those reporters were Shifters and Fallen using
magic to pass as humans. By the time the sun was all the way up, every clan
would know of the human president’s betrayal, his lies to his own people, and
his attempted genocide and exploitation of the Shifters and Fallen.
Now it was time for some revelations of our own. The
backlash among the humans should be minimized by Collin, but that wasn’t where
most of the danger was. It was going to take something drastic to keep our own
people from lashing out at the humans in retaliation. The former president
really was safer in lock-up. Even then, he might not last long. You don’t
piss off a bunch of magic wielding, inhumanly strong people and expect to live to
a ripe old age.
Ville took my hand as we exited the building. It was
still snowing, and the fluffy flakes clung to our clothes. Ville’s long, dark
eyelashes were spangled with moisture. “Are you ready?” His voice was calm,
but I could feel his anxiety and determination.
I nodded. “Oh, absolutely.” Kind of.
Ibbe and Logan joined us on the stoop as Marshall stepped
out of the back of a big car that was parked at the curb. He thumped the
fender and the car took off, spiriting the ex-president away.
He glanced at Ibbe. “Are you sure you want to go back to
the big house? As your brother, I don’t think you should be sent into enemy
territory. I would gladly take that risk for you.”
Ibbe snorted. “Thanks, but no thanks.” We had decided
that Ibbe and Logan would return to the big house and take care of things there
while Marshall took over at the mansion. Marshall was getting the short end of
the stick. Over the last couple of weeks, the staff at the big house had grown
accustomed to Ibbe and the other strangers. Marshall would be alone when he
took the brunt of questions and upheaval among the Fallen.
Ville clapped a big hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “I’m
sorry to ask this of you, but it’s only for a short time, and Natasha will be
there.”
Marshall waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s
nothing. I’d rather be at the mansion with a beautiful angel like Natasha than
wherever the heck you’re going.”
Our companions slipped into separate cars to take them to
their destinations, just as Maddox emerged from the presidential estate with
three reporters in tow. An elegant Silver Ghost pulled up and Maddox replaced
the driver. Ville and I slid into the front seat, me in the middle and Ville
sitting sideways against the door to accommodate his wings. The reporters took
their places in the backseat looking both nervous and intrigued.
I rubbed my hands together and angled the vents upward so
our guests in the back could get some heat. The car steamed into motion, its tires
squeaking over the snowy road.
“Where are you taking us?”
I turned around in my seat to face the reporter. The
woman in the middle of the backseat was tidy, her small frame sheathed in a
grey business suit with a bit of lace at the collar. I was really bad at
guessing human ages, but she looked to be about forty or so, with a few soft
lines around her expressive eyes and small mouth. She tucked her dark blond
hair behind an ear and took a tighter grip on her notebook.
Ville flashed her a comforting smile and she slowly eased
back into her seat, probably not wanting to show her fear at his display of
fangs. “We would like a private interview with the three of you. We have a
very important story for you.”
The man next to her sniffed. “More important that what’s
going on back there?” He gestured back toward the presidential home.
I took a deep breath, using the opportunity to scent him. Brownish
hair, narrow face, sharp eyes- I thought he might be a coyote. I had instructed
Maddox to choose someone who would listen. While still tenacious enough to
hold their own among the larger predators, coyotes were reserved enough not to
act until they were sure of a situation.
Ville glanced at the other man who sat on the opposite
side of the woman, quietly taking it all in. “You don’t have to maintain your
magic now,” he said softly.
The slender blonde cast a nervous glance at the other
reporters, but he dropped his camouflage almost immediately. “Yes sir.” He
was clearly in awe of his emperor.
The woman’s pale blue eyes widened when his tawny wings
and sharp fangs became visible. She shrank back into the seat ever so
slightly, her gaze darting to the coyote as if she expected him to transform as
well. He shrugged and gave her a toothy grin.
I leaned over the seat and patted her knee. “Don’t worry;
we just want a human present. We want you to hear what we have to say as well,
so that everyone is represented.”
She nodded, and then let out a shaky breath. “It’s
okay.” She was trying really hard not to freak out over being the only human
in the vehicle. But at least she was trying- that said something about her
character.
We drove for some time in silence, everyone growing
accustomed to the idea of being in such a mixed group. Finally, we turned down
a quiet street and pulled off onto a narrow driveway leading into a wooded area.
Our uncanny group unloaded from the car and stood staring
at the pretty, Victorian style house perched within the snow-covered branches
of a large tree. I led the way up a twisting flight of stairs to the wide
wooden deck, the reporters following in my wake. Ville and Maddox brought up
the rear. I gestured at the wicker furniture scattered around the enclosed
deck. A fire crackled away in the fireplace, and mugs of hot tea steamed on
the end tables. “Go ahead and take a seat.”
Maddox took up a guard position by the door while Ville
and I moved to sit side by side on the big wooden porch swing. It faced the
other seats, and the glorious view of the snow-hushed forest past the big
windows. The reporters hesitantly sank down onto the wicker chairs and pulled
out notebooks and pens. The human woman held up a little tape recorder,
questioningly, and Ville nodded assent.
I rubbed my hands on my thighs and took a deep breath. “Well,”
I said, calling this little meeting to order. “I suppose you are all wondering
why you’re here.” I got three nods in reply. “As you’ve heard this morning,
we’ve uncovered a plot that has caused war between our people for years.”
The human woman tentatively raised her hand. “What will
you do with the President Weiss?”
Ville leaned back and placed an arm on the back of the
swing, relaxed. I could feel him willing the woman not to be afraid of him.
“We’re keeping him in lock-up, but he isn’t in any danger from Wren or myself.
We just want to hold him somewhere safe until the human government is ready to
take him and give him a trial.” He shrugged. “It is up to your people to
decide how he’s punished.” She nodded and scribbled a note.
The Fallen man cleared his throat, but didn’t speak up. Mr.
Coyote leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “How did you uncover this
plot?”
I sighed. “It’s really a long story. The short of it is
that Ville and I met when we were children. We were both being raised to hate
a race of people that we had never even met.” I glanced at Ville and
shrugged. “I think it was pretty apparent after meeting the enemy that half of
the things we had been taught were wrong.”
The Fallen man finally spoke up. “What will happen now?”
Ville sat up straight. “We would like to end this war.”
Coyote gave him a wry look. “Won’t the Fallen still
consider us enemies? I know the Shifters won’t change just like that. They’ll
hold a grudge.” He gave me an apologetic look. “And wolves are deathly
against change.”
I nodded. “You’re exactly right. Without some sort of
drastic measure, the fighting will continue, even if the war is ended. It’s
going to be a hard time for both clans. We’re hoping that the humans will be
spared because the Weiss was largely acting on his own agenda, and Mr. Collin
is so much more open minded.” I took a deep breath. “And I am now in charge
of the Earth clan. I swear to you, there will be change.”
The Shifter’s eyes traveled over my red hair. “I see.”
Ville reached out, taking my hand in his. “And this is
why you’re all here. The Earth and Sky clans…are no longer two separate
kingdoms.
There was a beat of silence as everyone processed that.
The Fallen reporter stared at our linked hands with his mouth hanging open.
The Shifter’s eyebrows almost touched his hairline. The human woman’s gaze
kept darting from one of them to the other, not understanding their shock.
The Fallen reporter turned to the woman. “It’s unheard
of. We consider ourselves two different species. It’s just not done….”
The woman could barely contain herself. “You’re like
Romeo and Juliet!” Coyote snorted, but she ignored him and whipped out her
pen. “I’m sorry to ask, but how old are the two of you?” She frowned. “You
certainly look young, but your people don’t age the way humans do.”
Ville smiled at her. “No offense taken. I am twenty
years old. And Wren is eighteen.”
She dropped her pen and stared. “Gods and Angels! You’re
only children!”
I shared a glance with Ville, thinking of Cora and the
other human girls I knew. “We’re adults. But this might seem strange to a
human. I think your children are more sheltered.”
Coyote gestured toward me. “Until recently, Wren was the general
of war in the Shifter army. She’s been trained for battle since she was a
baby.”
Ville nodded. “Both of our clans expect our young people
to be soldiers. It is the only way of life our generation has known.”
The Fallen reporter piped up. “This is what the war has
cost us.”
The woman shook her head. “I hope that the whole world
can learn from your example,” she said softly. “That a couple of children
could overcome so much hatred….”
I gripped Ville’s hand so tight that my knuckles went white.
I hadn’t really had time for everything to sink in, but at her words, I
suddenly felt a rising panic. What we had done was beginning to sink in, and I
didn’t know if I should feel elated or terrified at the enormity of what we had
set into motion.
We answered all of the questions the reporters asked us-
and some they didn’t. Then Ville and I stood on the snowy porch and stared after
the long-departed car. He slipped his arms around me from behind, and I felt
the slow beating of his heart against my back.
“Do you think you’ll survive it?” His deep voice rumbled
through me, oddly muffled by the snowy wonderland around us.
“Survive what?” I twisted in his arms to look up into
those sky blue eyes.
He jerked his head back toward the house. “No fighting.
No battle, or strategy. Just the two of us… all alone…”