Laura Jo Phillips (22 page)

“Rayne has a spot of blood on her arm,” Lariah said.  “Check that woman for needles.”

Mara blanched.  “That’s...”  Mara fell silent at Garen’s upheld hand.  

“If you speak again I may rip out your tongue,” he growled.

No, Mara thought, this was not going well at all.

Maxim reached for her wrists and held them up in a loose, but unbreakable grip.  Mara didn’t bother to struggle.  She knew there was no use in it.  Instead she waited for her son to find the tiny device still tucked between the fingers of her right hand that she had not had a chance to hide.

Her mind raced, grasping for an excuse, an explanation, anything that would get her out of this current mess, but she could not think of a single thing to say in her own defense.  She looked up, her gaze meeting the clear eyes of the huge wolf once again as Maxim carefully removed the collection device from her hand and held it out to High Prince Garen.

“A blood collection device,” Garen growled softly as he took the device from Maxim.  “Now, I wonder, why would you want a sample of Princess Rayne’s blood?”

The giant wolf suddenly began to shrink until it became a woman with short brown hair, and the same green eyes as the wolf.  Mara suddenly hated the eyes, the wolf, and the woman. 

“This woman’s heart is foul,” Saige said as she approached, her gaze never flinching from Mara’s.  “It is filled with jealousy, envy, greed and hate.  She has no kindness in her, nor any compassion.”  Saige walked around Mara slowly.  When she was once again facing her she frowned.  “She has not always been as she is.  But her choices have set her feet upon a path that can not be recalled, and she is far past redemption.”

Saige looked beyond Mara, her gaze resting on Maxim for a long moment before she turned to Garen.  “High Prince,” she said, her voice ringing clear for all to hear, “It is with sorrow in my heart for your loyal subjects, Clan Katre, that I must tell you there is no good remaining in this woman.  She is as a viper at your back.”  Saige bowed to Garen, then turned and bowed to Maxim.  “I am sorry, Lord Commander,” she said softly.

To the surprise of all, Maxim offered Saige a sad smile.  “Do not feel sorrow, Arima Lobo,” he said.  “You cannot change the heart you see.”

He released his mother and stepped away from her before turning to Prince Garen.  “High Prince, I ask that we be granted permission to perform
moztu-oku
on this one who was once a Mother to us.”

Garen glared at Mara for another long moment, then turned his gaze to Maxim.  “Clan Katre has ever been noble and loyal,” he said.  “For that reason, your request is granted.”

Maxim, Lonim and Ranim all bowed to High Prince Garen in gratitude.  Then, turning so that they formed a triangle, each facing the other, they began speaking in the ancient tongue. 

This was the
moztu-oku
, a ritual of denouncement that, once complete, was irreversible.  All present remained silent out of respect for the Katres, and this most serious and solemn ritual.  Almost all.

Mara turned to watch her sons with narrowed eyes.  “No, not that again,” she hissed, “stop that right this moment.”  But they continued as though they did not hear her, as though they did not even see her.

When the ritual was complete, Maxim called forth a Falcoran male-set from the crowd.  “Please arrest this woman, now called Amara Winicke, and place her in a holding cell.  She is to speak to no one, nor is she to have visitors, nor access to any communication device.  She is charged with treason for her attack on the Royal Daughter, Princess Rayne Dracon, and is to be held for trial.”

“Maxim, what are you talking about?” Mara said, using her best wheedling voice since her objections and protests had not worked.  “I did not attack that child. This is all just a misunderstanding.  I only...”

Maxim turned his back on the woman who had once been his mother and walked away, Ran and Loni each a half pace behind him, Ran on the right, Loni on the left, as always.  He wasn’t sure where he was going.  He only knew that he had to get the three of them away from Mara.  Everything else, he would deal with later.

Chapter
27

Summer watched the scene below with growing horror.  She had just reached the top of the low rise at the edge of the valley when Lariah’s roar caused her to turn back in surprise.  She had been so shocked to see what looked like a dragon in the valley below that, at first, she hadn’t realized that the person the dragon was standing over was Mara.  It had to be Mara, she told herself, as Mara was the only woman of that size she had ever seen. 

“Darleen, please tell me that you see a dragon down there too,” she said weakly. 

“Not a dragon,” Darleen said.  “A dracon.  That’s Lariah Dracon, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Lariah?” Summer asked.  “Do you mean the Princess?  That Lariah?”

Darleen nodded.  “Oops, the Princes just arrived as well,” she said.  “I don’t know what that woman did, but she’s in deep now.”

Summer shook her head at the sight of three huge men with long, blue black hair suddenly appearing from out of nowhere.  Then the dragon...or rather, dracon, shrank into the form of a petite woman with red-gold hair who bent down to pick up a small child.  Then one of the men suddenly exploded, taking the shape of a dracon that was much larger than the first one had been.  The dracon roared angrily, then returned to human shape. 

Summer’s knees gave way in shock and she sat down suddenly on the blue grass.  What the heck is going on here? She wondered.  She felt a rapid vibration in the ground beneath her and looked up in time to see a gigantic wolf race by not twenty yards from where she sat.  Well, she thought, it sort of looked like a wolf.  If a wolf was eight feet tall at the shoulder and had black and white stripes. 

If the Red Queen wanders by yelling “off with their heads,” I am in big, big trouble,
she thought.

The striped wolf ran across the valley, slowing only when it reached the crowd of people collecting around Mara and the Princes.  Then she saw Maxim, Loni and Ran make their way toward Mara.  She felt their fear for their mother, and their worry.

Summer turned her gaze back to the wolf in time to see it transform into Saige.  She gasped aloud.  “Okay, what the hell is going on here?” she demanded.

Darleen sat down next to her.  “I take it you didn’t know that Clan Jasani are shifters,” she said calmly.

“Shifters?” Summer asked faintly. 

“Yes, shifters,” Darleen repeated.  “There are seven Clans.  The Dracons are the royal family, and turn into what you called a dragon.  The Lobos turn into that big striped wolf you just saw Saige transform from.  There are also the Bearens, the Falcorans, the Gryphons and the Vulpirans.”

“And the Katres?” Summer asked.

“Yes, the Katres as well,” Darleen said.  “I cannot tell you what they look like when they shift because I have never seen them, but I believe it is a large cat-like animal.”

Ah, the Cheshire cat makes its appearance,”
Summer thought. 
I wonder when the rabbit will show up? 

Summer gave her head a sharp shake and turned back to watch the scene in the valley below.  Gradually, the emotions she sensed from the Katres changed from fear and worry to anger, then sorrow and, finally, resignation.  Their mother had done something horrible.  Something really, really horrible.  Her heart grew heavy as it filled with tears for them. 

As they continued to watch, the Katres stepped away from Mara and formed a circle, then they all appeared to be speaking at once.  It looked like some sort of ritual to Summer, but she was too far away to be sure. 

“How is it that Lariah and Saige shift?” Summer asked a few moments later as she watched the Katres turn and leave the scene below.  “I know that Saige was human when I met her.”  She thought about that a moment, then sighed.  “Actually, I don’t know that at all.  I assumed it.  She could have been part bat for all I know.”

“I honestly do not know,” Darleen said.  “Very little is known about such things outside of the Clan Jasani themselves.  I do know that, in thousands of years, only Saige and Lariah have ever given birth to daughters.  And I know that Lariah was the first Arima to be found in millennia, just as Saige was the second.  I believe you are the third.”

“But you cannot tell me what an Arima is?” Summer asked hopefully.

“I could, but I have said I wouldn’t,” Darleen replied slowly.  “At the same time, it doesn’t appear that anyone else is going to tell you, and I think you have a right to know.  Frankly, I’m torn on that one.”

“Do not worry, Miss Flowers,” Maxim said, startling both of them.  They leapt to their feet and spun around, Darleen stumbling over the whirling folds of her cloak and losing her balance.  Loni leapt forward so quickly that Summer barely saw him move, catching Darleen before she tumbled backward down the hill.

“Thank you,” Darleen said breathlessly. 

When he was certain she had her balance back, Loni bowed and stepped back with his brothers.

“We apologize for startling you,” Maxim said.  “And I thank you, Miss Flowers, for not telling Summer what you, rightly, felt she should know.  I assure you, we will not keep her in the dark any longer.”

“I imagine you would prefer privacy for this,” Darleen said.

“If you would not mind,” Maxim replied.

Darleen looked to Summer, who hesitated.  She reached out for the Katres’ emotions and discovered that they were all a little sad, but not angry.

“It’s all right, Darleen,” she said.  “You go on back to the house and I will meet you there later.”  Darleen turned and left, her uneven footsteps on the gravel fading quickly to silence.

“I don’t know exactly what happened down there,” Summer said, “but it appears to have involved your mother, and I am sorry for that.”

“She is no longer such to us,” Ran said sharply.  He immediately looked contrite.  “I apologize,” he said.  “I have no cause to speak to you in such a manner.”

Summer shrugged, a tiny lift of her shoulders.  “It’s okay,” she said.  “I didn’t know it was possible to sever a relationship with your own mother though.”

None of the Katres seemed willing to discuss that matter, so Summer changed subjects.  “I know you have something to tell me, but before you do, may I ask you a question?”

“Certainly,” Maxim replied, his tone agreeable enough, though his golden eyes looked wary.

“Apparently most of the people around here are shifters of one sort or another.  Are you?”

“Yes, we are,” Maxim replied.  “Our alter form is an animal we call the katrenca.  It is much like what I believe you would call a feline.”

Summer snorted.  “Somehow, I don’t think you turn into fluffy white Persians,” she muttered.

Maxim cocked his head slightly.  “I do not know what a
fluffy white Persian
is, but if you like, we can show you our alter form now.”

“Yes, please,” Summer replied.  “If you wouldn’t mind.”

Maxim turned to Ran and Loni.  Ran shrugged and stepped several feet away.  He smiled briefly at Summer, and called his katrenca.

Summer’s eyes widened as Ran quickly expanded, his shape changing from that of a tall man to a gigantic cat.  He was easily ten feet tall at the shoulder, and perhaps twenty feet long, not counting his tail.  He had thick, golden fur and large golden eyes, the same color as his hair and eyes when he was in his human form.  But, though he had the coloring of an Earth lion, he looked more like a panther to Summer.  Well, with the exception of the long fangs and the short, sharply pointed horns set just above his ears. 

Summer walked toward him slowly, reaching out to run her fingers through the thick, silky fur on his foreleg.  His paws were far larger than her head and spiked with long, scimitar-like claws, but for some reason, she felt not the slightest hint of fear.  She knew he would never harm her, or allow her to be harmed.  In fact, she was so certain of that, that it never crossed her mind to wonder about it as she reached out with both hands to rub Ran’s thick fur. 

After she had a few minutes to drink her fill of him in his katrenca form, Ran shifted back to human. 

“I am glad that you felt no fear of me,” Ran said.

Summer smiled at him, but could not think of a single thing to say that was remotely appropriate, so she said nothing at all.

“Summer, there are many things that we must discuss with you,” Maxim said.  “However, before we begin, there is one thing in particular that I wish to clear up first.”

“All right,” Summer said, feeling wary herself now.  It seemed to her that whenever Maxim had something to say to her, it was unkind or angry.

“Earlier, in the armory, you misunderstood my meaning when I spoke of Mara, and left before I had a chance to explain.  I wish to explain now, if you will allow me to do so.”

“Of course,” Summer said nervously.

“I did compare you to Mara,” he said.  “As you guessed.  And, as I am certain you noticed, she is not a kind woman.  She spent five hundred years making our fathers miserable with her sharp tongue.  When we met you yesterday morning, and you argued with me about Darleen and Lio, I became convinced that you were the same as Mara.