Page 96 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

Mom blushed. “Thanks, dear. Have some more.” For a moment, it looked as if he would protest, but Mom was already piling more on his plate.

I hid a grin at his dumbfounded expression. Then he softened, and there was a hint of moisture in the bottom of his eyes before he looked down.

My smile mellowed. My family was a lot, but they were family. And it brought a strange warmth to my heart to see how they welcomed Shen. His responses to even the tiniest of family care nearly tore my heart in two.

Shen turned to me. His brow rose at the tiny smile on my lips, but I just shook my head and shrugged ’cause I didn’t know how to explain the peace and joy in my soul. His smile softened and he nodded. A thoughtful frown crossed his face.

“There are also those youfeeloutside the tribe, correct?” Shen asked me, his eyes darting back and forth as if he were thinking.

“Yes. Many don’t make it. I think only the most direneedsare coming. But why would my Gift draw them? Nothing like this has happened before.”

“I’ve long wondered if the broken are drawn to you, kiddo. You may not remember, but there was a tiny puppy who’d lost a leg and was bleeding out. You found ’em on our porch when you were a mere toddler and knew exactly how to help. It was when we first suspected you had a Gift,” Dad said, rubbing his chin in thought. “You mentioned your Gift expanded when you accepted the three items. Could it be…” He exchanged a glance with Mom.

She nodded. “It’s possible.”

“What’s possible?” I asked, a bit peeved at their silent conversation.

Mom turned to me. “There was an old legend about the Trident. The Book, the Crown, and the Sword. It was an obscure rumor about ’em somehow being items of power.”

I stared at Mom. “Why didn’t you say anything about thisbefore? It could’ve been freakin’ useful!”

She shrugged. “You were all very young when it went around, and the Reds quickly shut it down.”

“So it has something to do with the three items given to the matriarch? Could they be spelled like the Book of Rites?” Anna asked, leaning back in her chair as her face grew a bit pale. I asked her with my eyes if she needed to go rest; she shook her head slightly.

When I glanced up, Shen’s eyes met mine, filled with understanding.

He turned back to Mom. “It is possible. The mages of old were greater in power than those of today. A way to augment a ruler’s Gifts to make it serve the people would not be out of the question,” Shen said.

“There’s a legend about the first matriarch that said she had a way with words. Perhaps it augmented a Gift no one knew about?” Jacob asked. “I ’member hearing about how she talked down an entire city guard from invading. They left the tribe alone after, as if they’d forgotten we were even here.” I nodded. Matriarch Victoria the Truthsayer was a tale we were often told as kids.

Shen whistled. “That would explain much. Your tribe is close to Mongolia. You would be seen as a threat. You do not know how many times the king and princes have suspected the Reds are close to the capitol, but even their greatest trackers could not confirm this. And they should have. Many times over. This is not a mere tribe, but an entire city hidden in the woods. A geas laid over the tribe would be understandable and even probable.”

I furrowed my brow and nibbled my bottom lip. A geas was typically of fea kind. They used a geas to either prevent someone from speaking of or remembering certain details. I didn’t realize it could actually be agoodthing. But with my Gift… “Does this…Could my Gift undo that? It’s bringing people and creatures to us left and right.”

Shen shook his head, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. Seeing him at ease made a smile tease my lips. “I am trained to resist geas and other magic. It’s the only way I can find my way back here after leaving. That, and your scent. Remembering the way back after leaving is a bit of a muddled mess. Were it not for those two things combined, I could not have returned to you. So no, your Gift draws them here, but after they leave, it would be near impossible to find it again.”

“Good. Would hate to undo centuries of peace because everyone’s blasted drawn to me,” I said. Shen chuckled, catching my morbid humor. I rubbed my hands together, thinking of who could head this up. “Markus and Brandt are two I trust. Get them to set up a team of those they trust and let’s get this started. The sooner, the better.”

“Good. Would your Reds be keen to go on rescue missions for the injured who cannot make it here?” Shen asked.

I stared at him for a moment. Then I cackled with glee and got up without a backward glance.

“She’s up to something,” Anna said.

“That look on her face terrifies me,” Jacob said, his voice wavering.

“The look of innocent chaos?” Shen said, not without a hint of dark sarcasm.

“Yep, that one,” Jacob replied.

CHAPTER 33

The Needs of Many

SHEN & ALIA

Shen

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