Page 19 of A Shifter Disaster Thanksgiving

“How could you possibly—?”

“You are a warrior, Gregory. You made that clear to our father when you pushed for another war between Glenstra and Pine Gap. You’ve been itching for something like this to happen for a long time.”

His brother shook his head. “You are behaving like a child, Sylvester. What is going on right now is beyond what you think. What do I stand to gain from another war?”

“You would crush Glenstra, for one. Isn’t that what you want?” Sylvester let go of Diane’s hand, taking a few steps toward his brother. “You would risk the lives of many in another war. Need I remind you what happened to our mother?”

Gregory’s dark eyes flashed with anger. He shot to his feet. “Do you think I have forgotten?”

His voice seemed to reverberate through the room. Sylvester braced himself for an attack, sensing it was only a matter of moments away.

He clenched his jaw. “Perhaps not. It’s a good thing you remember. I wonder what she would make of what you did to our father.”

His brother clenched his fists, and Sylvester thought he saw steam rising from Gregory’s flesh.

Any second now.

But to his surprise, Gregory only chuckled. He took his seat, his eyes never leaving Sylvester’s. Irritation flickered across his face, but the anger seemed to have faded.

“You should be careful whom you point fingers at, brother,” he said quietly. “Whatever delusion you have regarding me, you had better get rid of it. As I said, greater problems are arising. I must focus on them, and so should you.”

“You mean by remaining in the forge?” Sylvester scoffed. “Creating more weapons for this war?”

“You chose the forge, Sylvester,” Gregory pointed out. “You are a Stormbringer. Your place is here, with me. You chose otherwise a long time ago. And you—” He closed his mouth instantly, looking as though he was weighing his words. “I think you had better leave. You and your… wife. As always, it was a pleasure seeing you.”

“You can’t—”

“You really should leave,” Gregory said before Sylvester could finish his statement. “Clearly, you have nothing meaningful to tell me. There is an emissary on his way from Glenstra to see me to discuss the terms of our surrender.” He snorted at his own words. “That will never happen.”

“Father would not have wanted a war,” Sylvester told him.

And then, before his brother could respond, Sylvester turned and stormed out of the room, Diane in tow. It wasn’t until they were out in the street that he stopped, drawing deep breaths.

“What just happened?” Diane asked.

Sylvester sighed deeply. “Nothing good. My brother refused to own up to his crime. One way or another, I’m going to make sure everyone learns the truth.”

***

The rest of the day seemed to go by slowly. Sylvester walked Diane back home, where Quinta was waiting with a smile on her face. He left the two women and headed to the forge, returning after dark, and was surprised to find Diane still awake in the living room. She sat in front of the fireplace, her legs crossed, staring in wonder at a small object in her hands.

When she finally noticed him, she held up the object and exclaimed, “You’ll never believe it! I found this in Quinta’s house. I’ve been reading it ever since.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

“It’s a book!” Diane’s beautiful eyes gleamed. “Quinta didn’t even realize she still had it.”

“What’s a book?”

She rubbed her chin. “It’s, uh… well, it’s a story. I used to write books like this in my world.”

Sylvester barely understood a word she was saying, but he nodded. “Ah. You seem to be enjoying it.”

“Of course. I love to read, especially novels like this one. I didn’t think there were any in this dimension. Quinta said someone must have brought this through the portal, maybe on a plane or a ship.”

“No doubt. Items come in from your world all the time. Your clothes, for instance.”

He gestured at the red top she had on. It was sleeveless, revealing her slender arms, and from where he stood, he could just spot a bit of her cleavage. He swallowed at the sight, forcing his gaze back to her face.

---