Page 18 of Magic & Secrets
I was startled by my surging pride at hearing how the world changed for the worse without the Bane Shifters. My kind had fought hard and bled plenty to keep the Territories at peace. For a century, I wondered if the humans and magic folk even noticed our absence.
“You have a Witch’s protection spell around your settlement,” I said while the tailor measured me.
“It helps some. Didn’t stop you or those warriors. Likely wouldn’t have done squat with those feral Shifters. Against a Sorcerer or stray Shifter, it tends to work, though.”
“Nothing’s perfect, I suppose,” I replied while the tailor began to work.
Peering out the front window, I spotted my packmates. Humans scurried away at the sight of the giant males. I smiled wistfully, recalling a time when an appearance by the Bane Shifters would be applauded. The humans felt pride in what their science had created. We were given the royal treatment wherever we went.
These days, the Bane Shifters were myths, whispered of yet mostly forgotten.
The warriors didn’t seem particularly frightened or curious about us. Calla claimed not to believe what we were, but she wasn’t any good at lying.
No doubt her handlers at the Murade told her to expect the Bane Shifters. Perhaps, the females were given weapons to disarm us. Was that the intoxicating magic in air?Had my old owners handed their newest weapons whatever necessary to make us heel?
The tailor’s little human hands made quick work of three pairs of pants. The fabric felt strange against my skin. Even back at Operation Overlord, we rarely wore clothes. There was no need to cover up amongst our kind.
Since the female warriors weren’t as casual toward nudity, I chose to endure the itchy fabric against my flesh. Delta and Koda didn’t complain, either, as we stepped out of the tailor’s shop.
We found the warriors inside an old-fashioned pub. The walls were forged of timber and stone. The air was filled with the aroma of smoke, ale, and roasting meat. Under it all, I detected the alluring cinnamon scent.
A fire crackled in the corner ingleside. Solar lanterns created a golden hue. Men stood around the bar top, admiring the female warriors at a back table.
As soon as we entered, the jovial humans froze. Laughter died on their lips, and the place fell silent. Half of the humans gawked at us. The others stared fearfully at the ground.
None of the humans were old enough to remember a time when the Bane Shifters were more than stories told around the fire.
I ignored the worried pub patrons and walked straight toward the warriors. I hoped to work my magic on Calla and discover her secrets.
Once her gaze fell upon me, I lost track of my plan. Calla’s presence caressed my flesh. The magic surged around us, making me lightheaded and compliant.
“You found pants,” Enya said as her green eyes admired our new garments. I noticed her gaze lingered a moment longer on Koda. “How does one pay for anything when one lacks pockets?”
“The generosity of strangers,” Delta snarled at her.
Koda bumped our packmate. His upper lip lifted into a snarl. A threatening growl erupted from deep within his chest. Delta met Koda’s aggression with his own.
“What’s wrong with them?” Calla asked me.
I gazed into her eyes, feeling a primal urge to move closer. “They’re riled up from the hunt,” I lied and glanced at my snarling packmates. “They haven’t been in battle in a very long while.”
“Yes, we noticed,” Mina muttered and frowned at the growling males. “You were slow to act.”
Lying immediately, I muttered, “We were pacing ourselves to see if their master would show.”
“Why would you assume they had one?”
“Wolf and Lion Shifters don’t tend to work together.”
“Times are changing,” Mina said and looked around the room.
“She’s pleasant,” I told Calla and dropped into the chair closest to her.
Calla smiled at the chair groaning under my size. “Think it will hold?”
I shared her smile, unable to help myself. “Will you laugh if it doesn’t?”
“Of course not. I’m very well-mannered,” she said and then exhaled deeply as if trying to center herself. “Do you miss your mountain?”
