Forged by Greed (18 page)

“Wow, careful. You never know who’s listening,” Bogdan chuckled.

“Oh, don’t tell me she’s got eyes and ears everywhere. Nonsense.”
Lusia glowered.

“Bogdan, since your folks are the Race’s historians, ask them what
they
think about all this mess.” Erik
turned away from the window. “Do you remember the Goddess saying that the
Amulet has never left the Winter Shape Shifter’s hands before? Something about
our turn
of its custody? I can’t stop
thinking about it.
Our custody
?
What’s that all about?”

Lusia and Georgeta shook their heads and shrugged.

“No idea. Bro, this sounds freaky,” said Bogdan. “When I think about
all this stuff… I mean, look guys, we don’t know much.”

 
“Hey, do we have power?” asked
Georgeta.

Outside the trees’ silhouettes looked like they were in a battle
with the forces of evil. Erik flipped the nearest light switch, but nothing
happened. The kids all moaned at once.

“At least we have enough candles to last for a while,” Lusia said calmly.
She pulled her knees to her chest. “The Summer kids!” she exclaimed, startling
everyone. “Where is that mansion where all these leopards hang out?”

“Jasmira. Of course,” Erik said, looking at Lusia. “She might know
something.”

Bogdan’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight when he said, “Yeah, but
how do we find her? I have no idea where she—”

 
“I know where she lives.”
Georgeta clapped her hands, getting everyone’s attention.

“What?” Erik’s eyebrows met, creating an almost straight line above
his eyes. “What do you mean you
know
where she lives? How?”

“Ugh, chill, blondie. Let me finish.” Georgeta shrugged, stealing a
quick look at Erik’s face, her good-natured features clouded with guilt.

“Georgeta.” Erik’s eyes widened in suspicion.

Lusia and Bogdan started to giggle which, in turn, made Erik blush.

“Oh, come on. Don’t you know
any of them from school?” Georgeta stood up, glaring at Erik. She rested her
hands defiantly on her round hips.

“No, I mean we all know
Jasmira, but I’m not really familiar with any of the Summer kids. You obviously
hang out with them, and I don’t even have a clue.” It was clear that Erik was
very protective of his little sister.

Lusia and Bogdan couldn’t
control their giggles, and soon Lusia was dabbing her eyes with her sleeve.

 
“Okay, okay.” Erik’s large palms shot up in a
gesture of surrender. “Can we
please
hear your story, dear sis?” He sat down, annoyed.
 

Georgeta cleared her throat,
and pushed herself deeper into the sofa cushion.

“You know Penelope Stephanopoulos,
Jasmira’s best friend?” she asked.

“That Greek redhead with an
attitude bigger than the Parthenon?” Erik snorted.

Lusia started giggling again.

“Yep, the same one,” Bogdan chimed in.

“What? You too?” Erik’s eyebrows shot up to his hair.

“I have Social Studies with her.” Bogdan shrugged, grinning.

“She wants to do everything just like Jasmira. So she got herself an
idea to date a Winter guy,” Georgeta pressed forward. “She knows me from school
and she asked me about uhm… that… guy—”

“Who?” Erik interrupted.

“Well… uhm, you.” Georgeta’s face turned red, like a peony in full
bloom. The room was quiet. Even Lusia and Bogdan stopped giggling, but they
kept nudging each other. Lusia pressed her lips together, trying hard not to
burst into laughter again. Bodgan’s face looked surprisingly sheepish.

Erik fell back into the sofa cushions, his long legs stretched in
front of him. “You guys are unbelievable. You all knew, and you wouldn’t even
mention it?”

“Dude, why are you so worried?” Georgeta slapped Erik’s thigh. “You
should be happy, you’re a popular guy. Besides, I told her you’re unavailable.”

“Well, thank you.” Erik’s brows furrowed again.

“You’re welcome.” Georgeta grinned
at him. “The point is I’ve been to the mansion. By the way, I must admit, I’m
impressed,” she added quickly.

“I didn’t know that part of
the story. You’ve never said you went there.” Lusia exclaimed.

Bogdan nodded in agreement.

Georgeta looked taken aback. “Give
me a break, you two. I didn’t think it was such a big deal. Come on, I was curious.”

“Never mind then. How can we
get there?” Erik got over his initial shock.

“We drive.” Georgeta shrugged.

“I know that much, smarty
pants.”

“In this weather?” Lusia
asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Erik stood up
and walked toward the door.

“Bogdan, should we get the others? Logan, Ian, Juliana? Anyone else?
It wouldn’t hurt to have more Winter Shifters with us,” Georgeta said
breathlessly.

“Not now. Let’s just go. We can call them later, if necessary.”

                           
                                      
CHAPTER 20

Human World, November 16,
evening.

Amber walked quickly to the
escalator. She liked the airport atmosphere—the rush, a colorful, multi-lingual
crowd, and the duty-free shops. As an ancient Goddess, she usually moved from
place to place by means of her magical powers. Or used her private jet. But occasionally,
she liked to catch a commercial plane. She found it entertaining to mingle with
humans.

Her insanely high Christian Louboutin
stilettos made a click-clacking sound on the airport floor. Amber rolled a small
luggage bag behind her. She wore a baby-blue skirt suit, which made her look like
an elegant celebrity. Her hair was long and blond today and pinned up into a
perfectly smooth up-do. A pair of gold earrings in the shape of four-leaf
clovers and a matching pendant completed the outfit.

Amber took an escalator down
and strolled to a black limousine waiting for her by the airport entrance. The
driver opened the door and helped her inside. His large hands were covered in
white gloves.

“I trust your trip was
pleasant, ma’am”, he said in a thick Southern drawl.

“As pleasant as a plane trip
can be. Thank you, Mitch.”

Soon they drove toward
downtown Santa Barbara. Amber rolled down her window to feel the warmth on her
skin. The temperature that evening was a record high for mid-November, and the
Summer Goddess had something to do with that. She closed her eyes.

“Can I get you anything, ma’am?”
the driver’s gentle voice came from a small speaker by Amber’s seat.

“Thank you, Mitch. I’m good.”

“Are you staying longer this
time, ma’am?” he asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror.

Amber sighed. “I never stay
anywhere long. I’m leaving in a week for Texas, and then to Hawaii. Later on I
will go to Africa.”

She traveled excessively to observe
different societies, with people practicing different religions and traditions.
She liked to blend in and pretend she was one of them. Amber had watched human
civilization since its beginning, and it fascinated her.

As she thought about her
Summer Shifter Princess, Jasmira, her cell phone rang. She knew it was Jasmira
calling even before she got the phone out of her purse. Her Shifters didn’t
need human technology to communicate with her. But Amber felt Jasmira was so
distressed, that she couldn’t concentrate well enough to establish a mind
connection with her Goddess. That was very unusual for a confident and composed
Jasmira.

First thing Amber heard was a
sob, small and heartbreaking.

“Jasmira.” Amber’s voice was
gentle but her face was angry. “You and Jatred disappeared from the Summer
Realm before I could help.”
 

“He freaked out. He wanted to
return to the Human World. And now he’s gone.” Jasmira cried quietly. “I think the
Winter Goddess took him and he will be punished. He might even be dead by now.
All because of me. I took that Amulet, like you told me to.”

Amber didn’t say anything for
a long moment. Finally she spoke, her voice soothing but her narrowed eyes cold,
“Jasmira, you should have kept him in my Realm, just as I instructed you. Now I
need a new plan.”

“Please help him, my Goddess!
Help him and tell me what to do,” Jasmira pleaded.

“Calm your mind, my daughter,
so we can talk without using a cell phone
.
Get on my private jet. I will call the pilot to fly you here right away.”

                                                     
 
                   
***

Winter Realm.

Crystal stood motionless,
looking like a glittery ice statue. Her eyes rested on Jatred’s frozen form
covered by mounds of snow. She was deep in thought, and her face mirrored the turmoil
inside her. Two huge ravens—the first Royal couple, Freki and Geri—sat in one
of the trees on the edge of the clearing. The Goddess turned her head to look
at them. They made a series of clicking noises, then cawed loudly, and sailed
down to circle above her head, still croaking. She made an impatient gesture.
“You’re annoying.” Her voice sounded clear in the frosty air, although her
mouth didn’t move.

The ravens plummeted toward
the ground, shifting in mid-air into two huge wolves. The animals landed on their
paws. A low growl rumbled in the back of their throats. They walked slowly
around Jatred’s frozen shape, their lips curled back.

Crystal watched them in
silence for a while. Finally, she said, “I should listen to you and simply
eliminate him to remove the danger of the ten-thousand-year mark. The Shifters
could choose a new King or a Queen, and the world would be safe again. At least
for a while. But I’m getting soft in my old age. ”

One of the wolves, Geri, quietly
growled and snapped his jaws dangerously close to Jatred. Freki snarled much
louder. Her muzzle wrinkled as she exposed her sharp canines. The Goddess shook
her head. Reluctantly, the two animals moved away from Jatred. They walked
toward the woods and disappeared between the snow-covered trees.

The Goddess closed her eyes
and raised her arms to the sides. Her palms were up, and there was a
luminescent moon shape on each of them.

“Jatred, my child,” she said
with her mind.

Something in him started to
awaken, as if from a deep sleep. Various images began a sluggish parade through
his mind
.

“Rise.” Crystal moved her arms
up.

She became completely visible,
looking like a regular young woman—a stunning young woman. Her dark hair
glistened in the sun.
Small, almost
heart-shaped lips stayed motionless.
The Amulet around her
neck reflected sun rays, sending hundreds of tiny blue specks to dance on her
half-covered breasts, bare shoulders, and neck.

She wore a white, knee-length sleeveless
cotton dress. The hem was embroidered with tiny, glittering snowflakes, reminiscent
of those coming down from a cloudless sky. The top of her white boots’ shafts
were turned out, revealing thick silver-white fur. The shafts were embellished
with white decorative inlays and stitching.