Changing Fate [Fate series] (21 page)

"But the moon isn't full,” Akila protested, “so you can't be a true were-anything. Do you mean that wolf shape is the only non-human shape you've mastered?"

Rias nodded. “But this will let me change to
anything
."

Akila decided that this was not the moment to explain the disadvantages involved in that particular formula.

"Why come here with it? Why not stay at Eagle's Rest and experiment there?"

"I need Druscilla's help with the potion."

Akila stared at him. “You expect
Druscilla
to help you with a shape-changing potion?” she asked incredulously.

Rias nodded.

"But Druscilla hates shape-changers!"

Rias grinned. “Not as much as she hates wolves. Besides, I've got ways to persuade her."

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Druscilla walked into the garden just then, dressed in a loose robe and carrying a bundle of cloth and a tray full of food. Setting the tray on a bench, she tossed the bundle at Rias.

"I went by your room and got you some clothes,” she said. “Get dressed and eat something; I supposed you're starved, as usual."

Rias's thanks were muffled as he pulled a tunic over his head. Then he sat down on the bench with the tray and tore into the food with single-minded concentration.

Druscilla picked up the towel he had dropped and tossed it into the basket for the servants to wash. Then she sat down on the bench beside Rias, nearly sitting on the parchment as she did so. “What's this?” she asked, picking it up and starting to read it.

Akila, seated on the opposite bench, watched Druscilla's face as she read through the parchment. Druscilla did not seem as horrified by it as Akila had expected.
Maybe Rias is right. Maybe it is wolves she doesn't like, not shape-changers
.

"Interesting,” Druscilla murmured. “What are you doing with this, Rias?"

"I want to try it out,” Rias mumbled around the meat he was chewing. “Will you make up the potion for me, please?"

Druscilla eyed him suspiciously. “Why should I?"

Rias swallowed his food and smiled up at her. “Because if you don't,” he said, “I'll tell the Queen that you told me about the Year-King and the Sacrifice."

Druscilla's jaw dropped. She looked at him in horror and then turned to Akila. “Akila, you didn't!"

"Tell him?” Akila asked. “Of course not! I'm not supposed to know either, remember? I'll bet his father told him."

"Years ago,” Rias said, then did a double-take. “Akila? You're
her
, aren't you?” he asked accusingly.

"'She,’ not ‘her,'” Akila correctly automatically. “Yes, I am, but I haven't seen your father since the day of the duel."

Rias frowned. “But that was almost a year ago,” he said. “Where
is
he?"

Akila shrugged.

Rias looked her up and down, as if trying to form an opinion. “And if you're here, where is your brother? I though you went with him to look after him."

Druscilla raised her eyebrows at that. “Lord Briam is out with his Companions."

Rias, who had just taken another bite of food, choked on it. When he had his breath back, he started laughing. “Your brother is the Year-King? You're not doing very well at taking care of him, are you?” He doubled over with laughter, obviously finding this hilariously funny.

Both girls were easily able to refrain from joining in the laughter. As they sat waiting for Rias to get control of himself again, it occurred to Akila that this might be a valuable source of information.

"Just how much did your father tell you?” she asked, when Rias's laughter had diminished to the snickering stage. “Do
you
know how he survived?"

"Turned into a fish and let the undertow take him down river,” Rias said calmly. “Not that it's going to help you much—how long can your brother breathe underwater?"

Druscilla bit her lip. “It would have to be a long time,” she said. “People line up along the river the length of the city and throw flowers in to mark the Year-King's grave."

"That's just great,” Akila sighed. “Well, we've still got several weeks to think of something.” She reached over and took a piece of fruit from the tray. Worrying always made her hungry.

"About my potion,” Rias began.

"I'll think about it.” Druscilla frowned at him. “Don't push your luck; you'll have enough trouble explaining to the Queen what you're doing here at this time of year."

"And you should at least send a message to Galin,” Akila added. “I know he'll be worried about you."

Rias grinned cheekily at her. “Why don't
you
go tell him?"

Akila smiled blandly back. “I'm busy with the preparations for the Mid-Summer festival,” she said. She turned to Druscilla. “The Shield-Bearer left a few of the Guards here to run messages—do you suppose we could send one of them?"

Druscilla shrugged. “I don't see why not. You'll need to give directions on how to get there. How far is it, anyway?"

"I'm not sure, exactly,” Akila admitted. I took a rather round-about way getting here."

"So you did,” Druscilla agreed. “Rias, how long did it take you?"

Rias shrugged one shoulder and kept chewing.

"He probably doesn't know,” Akila said. “A lot of the way is through the forests. Since I doubt he took that route as a naked human, he must have been a wolf, and I don't think wolves have much of a time sense."

"I've never seen Wolf miss meal time,” Druscilla pointed out.

"That's different from counting days,” Akila argued.

Rias swallowed another mouthful. “It was moon dark the night I left,” he said, stuffing another piece of meat in his mouth.

The girls looked at each other and counted on their fingers. “Five days as the wolf runs,” Akila said finally.

"Apparently without stopping to eat on the way,” Druscilla added. “Rias, remember that it will be dinner time in less than two hours."

"Don't worry,” said Rias around his food. “I'll have room for dinner."

Druscilla shook her head. “I'll leave you to finish your ‘snack,'” she said. “I've got to go put some more clothes on."

Rias grunted absently as she left and continued to eat. Akila shifted to his bench and picked up the parchment. Reading through the formula again, after having used it, she noticed just how vague it was about the results you could achieve with it.

"Rias,” she said gently, “I'm not at all sure that this spell will help you. What you really want is to be able to fly, right?"

Rias nodded, still chewing.

"But you do want to be awake and have your mind still working, don't you?"

Rias gave her an ‘are you crazy?’ look and nodded.

"Well, the one time I used this spell,” she definitely had his complete attention now, “to turn myself into a sword—you heard about that, didn't you?"

He nodded again.

"From the beginning of the change until I found myself on the field at the end of the duel, I wasn't aware of anything. One minute I was turning into a sword, and the next minute I was changing back. There was absolutely nothing in between. And, of course, the change back is not something you can control. Somebody else has to dip you in either sea water or blood—and the river here is fresh water, so that leaves blood. Needing a supply of someone else's blood to change form is awkward, to say the least."

Rias frowned, looking thoughtful. “Druscilla doesn't know you're a changer, does she?” he asked.

Akila shook her head. “Briam knows, and you and your father know—and probably everyone at home knows by now—"

Rias shook his head. “Father told them it was a magic spell."

"The sword part was,” Akila agreed, “and it's not something
I
ever want to do again!"

"But nobody here knows,” Rias said, coming to a decision. “If you teach me how to fly, I won't tell anybody."

"Is blackmail your normal method of operation?” Akila asked.

Rias nodded and grinned. “Knowledge is power—at least that's what Father always said when I complained about being so small; he just told me to study harder."

"I'm not sure this is exactly what he had in mind,” Akila said, “but I'll do my best to teach you to fly anyway. Because you want to learn,
not
because you threaten to tell people my secret.” She stood up, still holding the parchment. “I have to get back to work. Take the tray back to the kitchen when you're finished with it, please, and I'll see you at dinner."

Rias nodded, stuffing a large chunk of bread into his mouth.

Akila went to find the housekeeper and order his room made up for him.

Briam and his Companions all turned up for dinner. The Queen had a tray in her room, and while Akila suspected that she had been told of Rias's arrival, at least nobody was asking awkward questions at the table. Briam acknowledged the introduction absent-mindedly and continued his discussion of the forthcoming archery contest with his Companions, and the Companions tried, with a fair degree of success, to pretend that it was normal to have Rias around at this time of year.

Akila dragged Briam aside for a brief talk at the end of the meal.

"Lord Ranulf left Rias at Eagle's Rest, and Rias ran away from there. We have to send him back."

"Why? Is Lord Ranulf after him?” Briam bent to scratch Wolf, who was standing between the twins, behind the ears. As Druscilla had pointed out that morning, Wolf never missed a meal. “And even if he is, why worry? He's not going to blame
you
for Rias's running away."

"That's not the point,” Akila protested. “He has to go back because the Sky Father has chosen him to be His new priest."

Wolf cocked his head and looked up at Akila. He appeared considerably more interested in what she was saying than Briam was.

"So what? You're the Maiden's priestess, and you're here."

Akila ground her teeth.
Sometimes Briam is so exasperating
. “Are you saying that you can dispense with my presence here and that
I
should take him home?"

"No, of course I'm not!” Briam protested. “Stop twisting what I'm saying; you're my sister and you're supposed to be with me. I just meant that if the Gods don't care whether you're there, they won't care whether he is either."

"I'm sending a letter to Galin about this,” Akila informed him. “He must be worried at the very least; Lord Ranulf left Rias in his charge. Do you have any messages for Galin or Marfa or anyone else there?"

Briam shook his head. “No, not really. You can tell them where we are and how we're doing, and I'm sure that you'll say everything that is proper."

He turned and wandered over to join his Companions, who were standing around talking to Druscilla and Rias. Akila followed him, and Wolf followed her.

"Let's go hunting tomorrow,” Briam said. “We haven't been out of the city in days.” He turned to Rias. “Do you want to come with us?” Several of the Companions looked quietly appalled.

I'll bet they don't care for the prospect of having to watch out for both Briam
and
Rias while hunting
, Akila thought.

Rias looked questioningly at Wolf. “Does the wolf go with us?” he asked after a moment.

Briam shrugged. “Usually he does. Sometimes, though, you can't pry him away from Akila. He'll do what he wants."

Rias grinned, the look of a child with a secret. “Thank you, I would like to come with you. I've never been on a King's hunt."

"That's settled, then,” Briam said. “We'll leave right after breakfast tomorrow."

Rias appeared at breakfast the next morning looking pale and haunted. Akila hoped that she didn't look as bad as he did, although she certainly felt as bad as he looked.

"Bad dreams?” she asked quietly, slipping into place next to him. Wolf quietly lay down under the bench they sat on.

Rias cast her a startled look. “You really are a sorceress, aren't you?"

"Not exactly,” Akila said. “I'm the priestess of the Lady of Fire, and She's not too happy with my absence from Her altar. What you probably didn't realize is that the Sky Father has chosen you to be His priest."

"Is that why I dreamed I was being blown all over the sky?” Rias looked crestfallen. “I thought maybe it meant I was going to learn how to fly."

"It might mean that too,” Akila said consolingly. “But which way were you being blown?"

"Back to Eagle's Rest,” Rias admitted. “I could see the walls, and Galin and Marfa were standing there—except it wasn't exactly them—and Marfa was calling me ... it was a really strange dream.” His voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Marfa is the priestess of the Earth Mother and Galin serves the Lord of Water.” Akila spelled it out matter-of-factly. Rias would just have to get used to this. “You probably saw the Gods overshadowing them, which is why they looked different.”
I know that's what
I
saw
. “I think they're upset that both of us are away."

"But I've been away for days,” Rias protested, “and I haven't had any dreams like that until last night."

"Until yesterday,” Akila pointed out softly, “you were a wolf. That does make a difference in your dreams."

Rias shrugged. “You should know about that,” he said, also keeping his voice low. “But what makes you think the Sky Father has chosen me as his priest?"

"You found the library,” Akila explained. “Only the priests can get into the library; it won't even open if someone else is in the room. I tried to show it to Briam once and it didn't work."

"And the Sky Father is the priest you didn't have when I came?"

"The old priest died last winter—no, the winter before last,” Akila said, “but the reason I know that it is the Sky Father that chose you is your description of how you got into the library."

She saw the realization in his face. “The clouds on the Sky altar,” he said. “You get in differently, don't you? You'd have to use something on the Fire altar."

"Exactly,” Akila said.
Good, he's already beginning to figure this out. It shouldn't be too hard to train him to do the ritual. I wish I
could
take him home myself
. A sudden wave of homesickness washed over her.