Page 11 of Queen Takes Rook
Nevarre let out a loud caw and circled lower, but even his sharp eyes couldn’t see whatever Xin had sensed.
:I can blast the entire area with fire,:Mehen offered, his dragon eager to lay devastation on the land.
:No,:I told him firmly.:It could be someone bathing who merely wants their privacy. I won’t have anyone harmed accidentally.:
:They have no scent,:Xin whispered as his wolf ghosted through the trees.:They’re almost as invisible as I am.:
Rik didn’t hesitate.:Shift. Be ready.:
Daire leaped down off his borrowed horse, shifting before he hit the ground. Rik shifted into his rock troll, and his terrified horse ran away as he took up position in front of us. Guillaume braced beneath me like he was ready to leap into war or run hard in the opposite direction to get me as far away from danger as quickly as possible. Ezra’s mighty bear and Daire’s warcat both took up defensive positions in front of me, and Tlacel’s feathered dragon surged up into the sky to join the dragon and raven on the hunt. Itztli stayed on my right to guard our flank.
Their concern for my safety made me warm and gooey on the inside… but also irritated me. I had already escaped living skeletons and survived several attempts by other queens to ensnare me, not to mention breaking the geas on Mayte’s nest. Surely—
:I have no doubt whatsoever in your ability and power to save us all,:Rik rumbled through me, an avalanche of crashing boulders.:But I won’t see you unnecessarily harmed or taxed either.:
The bushes rustled at the edge of the grotto, and a dark shape suddenly burst from the undergrowth. A dog. They were worried about a dog. The poor thing looked rather thin and scrawny, dirty and black with soot. Though it was rather large. Almost as big as Xochitl’s pony.
Xin raced after the poor creature, his teeth bared in a snarl. :It has no scent. It’s not a normal dog.:
I glanced over at Itztli, my own giant black dog. “A Blood like you?”
“He’s not my queen’s,” Tepeyollotl said. “Nor is he part of her nest. I don’t recognize him.”
Itztli’s nose tipped up into the air, his mouth slightly parted.:No, my queen. Not like me. He’s not Blood. He’s…:He glanced over at his niece’s father.:He’s more like Tepeyollotl.:
“A god? An Aztec god?”
Tepeyollotl snagged his daughter’s reins and started back toward the nest boundary. “None that I recognize. I suggest you allow your Blood to dispose of it to be safe, my queen.”
Itztli ran forward to help Xin capture the intruder. They were both mighty Blood in their own right, and powerful predators. But the other dog kept eluding them. Easily. Almost as if—
I whirled in the saddle to make sure Tepeyollotl was successful at getting the child back to safety.
The world disappeared in an intensely painful blaze of light. Tears dripped down my cheeks. My eyeballs felt scalded, my retinas seared. Only one person… god… had been able to do that before.:Ra!:
I heard the wings, though I couldn’t see anything. Rik folded his arms around me, scrunching me down against Guillaume’s withers.:He’s not here for me. He’s here for Xochitl!:
I felt Xin’s pain before I heard his yelp. I tasted blood in Itztli’s mouth as he crunched mighty jaws down on the intruder, dragging him off my wolf. Nevarre tumbled crazily toward the ground, stunned by the blaze of light. Mehen and Tlacel had been higher and out of harm’s way, but my raven…
:I have him, my queen,:Tlacel swooped down and caught Nevarre before he could crash into the ground.
I pushed up against Rik and he let me straighten, though he kept his stone body against me. I blinked away the streaming tears and searched for Xochitl. Her white pony lay lifeless on the ground. Her father’s mount struggled and flopped helplessly, at least one leg broken. The mighty god of jaguars had indeed shifted into his huge beast. But he could only stand there and roar with frustration as a large golden eagle carried his daughter kicking and screaming higher into the sky.
Away from the nest. Away from her queen mother.
Mayte screamed so loudly in the bond that I winced. All her Blood raced toward us, but they were jaguars too. They’d never be able to catch a bird of prey.
Mehen dived at the giant bird, trying to turn it back. He didn’t dare blast it with fire, for fear of hurting the child. The huge bird knew it, too, and screeched out its own warning. It was so big… With one twist of its mighty talons, it could tear the little girl apart, or disembowel her. We were helpless, forced to stand and watch as they flew away.
Helpless, my ass.
I used Rik’s shoulders to steady myself as I climbed to my feet on top of Guillaume’s broad back. I spread my arms open wide and closed my eyes.
The goddesses had given me a new shape—with wings—for a reason.
It was time for the winged jaguar to prove itself useful.
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