Resurrection (13 page)

The Centaur gave one firm nod. “Let’s look at your strengths. Your people are good climbers. Yes?”

The little man bobbed his head. “Oh yes. We’re swift climbers.”

An evil grin spread across the Centaur’s face. “That’s perfect.” He turned to everyone else as he stood. “Now, we’ve established they’re fantastic climbers. They’re small and agile. So, the best option is to scale your assailant and attack—eyes, nose, and mouth. The faster you move, the more confused your opponent will be. On three, I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“Bart.”

“On three, Bart. Climb up to my face as fast as you can.”

Her heart raced. What if the little guy slipped? What would keep him from being thrown to his death?

“Three!” Artemis yelled.

Bart was a blur as he scaled the Centaur.

She had no idea they were
that
swift, making her feel foolish for lifting Mary constantly.

Whoop, whoosh, whoop, whoosh.
The sound caused her to jump just in time to see an arrow narrowly miss her hear.

“Sorry!” Following the sound of the voice, she saw a female Dwarf whose face had turned pale.

The Centaur instructor jerked the bow out of her hand. “That was reckless!”

With a deep breath, she tried to shake it off and pay attention to Artemis’s instructions.
Could that have been on purpose?

“Now, from behind me, you can do several things. If you have a knife and it’s you or your attacker, stab here in the neck or throat. If you don’t have a sharp object, then use your hands. Pull on their nose, gouge their eyes. Do as much damage as you can. If they can’t see you, they can’t find you to hurt you. You may be tiny, but you don’t have to be a victim. Use it to your advantage. Let their assumption that you’re frail be their downfall.”

They practiced the maneuver a few times. Each time she was equally frightened and impressed by Bart.

“Excuse me,” she interrupted.

“Yes?” The Centaur instructor scowled at her.

“I have two questions, if I may. First, what if they’re thrown? I mean, an adult male could easily throw them a good distance.”

Artemis smiled over his shoulder at Bart. “Wanna show her?”

“Sure.” He shrugged.

He reached over his shoulder, snatched the little man by the collar and tossed him like a football.

Certain she was watching the murder of a Gnome, a scream ripped through her throat. But to her surprise, Bart twisted in mid-flight like a cat and landed on his hands and feet. As he walked back toward the group, her mouth dropped.

“Gnomes are built a lot like cats and squirrels. They’re very springy. They can fall from tall heights without injury.” The instructor assured. “They’re a very impressive species.”

The group applauded Bart as he made it back to them.

“You had another question?” Artemis asked as he ran his hand over his blond locks and licked his lips.

“How would a group of Gnomes defend against, say, a herd of Centaur?”

Zoltar hadn’t steered her wrong. The instructor gave a slight bow of the head, a sign of respect. “In all honesty, they’re best bet would be to wound enough to make an escape. It isn’t that a Gnome could not kill a Centaur. But there would be a lot of unnecessary collateral damage. They might be fierce but if any herd or pack comes after them, they will lose a lot of their people.”

She nodded and fought the urge to celebrate her tiny victory. “Thank you.”

“Excellent questions. Your turn.” He motioned to the area next to him.

She took a deep cleansing breath before walking up next to him. “Much of our fighting will take place in human form so if we’re spotted, we’re not spotted in true form. The humans just can’t handle that sort of reality. So, Wendy, as a Lycan you’re large, swift and powerful. But as a human woman, what are you going to do if I attack you?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a good answer except that I would fight back.” Heat radiated around her neck, worried she’d appeared foolish.

“Good, now, let’s look at how.” He stepped closer, directly in front of her. “Let’s focus on disabling your attacker, just like with Bart.”

She shook her hands and readied herself for attack.

“Vulnerabilities are eyes, nose, throat, and stomach, right? Without vision, I can’t see you to attack. The nose, well, it can blind as well, I’ll get to that in a minute. A strike in the throat will cause the assailant to gasp for air. A strike in the right area of the neck can cause a heart arrhythmia. The groin is obvious.” He pointed to the butt of his hand above his wrist. “This part of your hand can hurt worse than a fist.” He made a slow motion toward her face, pressing the butt of his hand to the bottom of her nose. “Moving quickly to hit like this will bust someone’s nose. When the nose breaks…vision goes white for a split second, giving you time to get a few more hits in. That’s when I’d go for the throat. Now they can’t see or breathe. This will allow for ample time to kill, or flee, whatever is necessary.”

He continued the instructions until they sparred on a mat. She clocked him a few good times and kicked him a little too hard in the leg. It buckled under him.

“Oh Goddess! I’m so sorry.” She tried to assist him back to his feet.

“Sorry? That was perfect!” He laughed and slapped his knee. “You have a warrior’s heart.”

Looking around, she found Zoltar applauding her from the other side of the practice area.

“Okay,” he stood up and shook his leg. “Let’s give the Pixie a try, shall we?”

She rejoined the group as the Pixie was afforded her turn practicing. Watching as her classmates all sparred with their new skills; she felt a sense of relief. They could defend themselves well. With training, they’d be unstoppable. Perhaps she didn’t have to worry so much.

Class was dismissed for lunch, though all she truly wanted was a shower.

“Impressive.” She heard Zoltar’s voice behind her.

“Oh well, thank you. Artemis is a good teacher.” She looped her arm in his.

“Learn anything useful?”

“Well, on a non-combat level, I now know I don’t have to squat down for Mary to climb on and off my back. Who knew they could climb like that?” She pulled her shoulders up and let them fall, feeling foolish.

He shrugged. “I did.”

“What? And you didn’t say anything? You watched me squat down knowing I didn’t have to?” She slugged him in the bicep.

He chuckled. “You were being sweet. How was I supposed to put a stop to that?”

She rolled her eyes as they walked in to the building. “Thanks.”

Stretching one arm over her shoulders he pulled her in with a squeeze. “Herd is going for a run this afternoon. Care to join us?”

It would be the perfect opportunity to bond with them, to see what they were like while separated from the others. She smiled up at him. “I’d be delighted.”

Over lunch they chatted about the lessons, about the prisoner in the basement, and reveled in the fact that the soot had been cleaned and the building didn’t look any worse for the wear.

“Might I join you?” Grace asked. Roman stood behind her, his smile wide.

“Of course, sit!” She tossed her hand at the area beside her. As if they’d have to ask.

“So, you know when you have a wild idea, or your thoughts are strong, I intercept them whether or not I’m trying,” Grace started as she picked up her sandwich.

“That’s most unfortunate.” The heat rose around her face. She felt her cheeks burn hot.

“You’ll learn to put up a wall eventually. The point is I called Nala about making room for some Gnomes. She’s delighted and already has Xander meeting with Mary to go over building needs.” She moved her gaze toward Zoltar. “I would like to ask one more favor of you, my friend.”

He wiped his hands on a napkin and tossed it on the table. “Anything.”

With a grin and a nod, she continued. “Would you be so kind as to get the list of needs from Xander and draw up two or three blueprints we could use for their homes?”

He put up his hands. “It would be an honor. I’ve already been thinking about a way to make them miniature sized tools so they’re not so dependent upon others. They really do want to contribute the work from what I gathered from Mary.”

Roman leaned ahead to look past Grace at Wendy. “You’re amazing. You’ve been given full credit for this idea. Nala is excited to lead a pack into the new world and this is a huge step toward building a real sense of community with the supernaturals. Colin is contacting packs across the country to see if they’re interested as well.”

She’d done it. A small suggestion, an idea really, and the lives of an entire species could be improved exponentially. She’d doubted herself when they asked her to be Headmistress. She didn’t really think she had the skillset required. But now? She’d managed to figure out transportation for the Gnomes, and a new living arrangement. These had been her ideas—hers.

What else could she do?

“Wendy, this will be your office!” Grace opened the door.

She dropped her bag on the floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” A large mahogany desk and black leather chair sat in the center of an enormous room, lined with light oak bookshelves. A private bathroom sat to the right of the room and to the left was a closet to store her things. Three large area rugs covered the stone floor, warming the environment further. “It’s so beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it. The desktop computer is connected to your laptop and cellphone. All the files will sync up, Xander’s bright idea, of course. He wanted things to be as easy for you as possible. He will be here in a few minutes to walk you through the student files.” Grace put her arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Make yourself at home.”

* * * *

The month had flown by. Students had arrived early to get settled and obtain their schedules. Xander had made her job extremely easy, though with such a large student body, it was time consuming. Tiffany had volunteered to be her assistant until everything was finished.

She managed to ferret out a bit of time for Mary, and a bit more than that for Zoltar. He didn’t complain when she was so exhausted she’d fall asleep before they could be intimate. More than that, he’d brought lunch to her office so they could dine together. They ran at night with the herd, and most of the time, the Gnomes would hitch rides on her or one of the Centaurs.

Bonding with the herd wasn’t as much of a challenge as she suspected. Most respected her as Zoltar’s mate and welcomed her with open arms. Theron had worked with her on her archery and combat skills in both human and wolf form.

A side benefit was the excellent physical condition she was in. She felt spry as a pup, her arms and legs feeling stronger than ever before.

School would start once the weekend had passed. A team had been assembled to track down the Separatists and as long as they were on the run, they didn’t seem to bother with the school. The staff had relaxed, though patrols remained steady.

She sat at her desk, studying her files. She hoped she’d placed the students in the right classes, but was prepared to make changes should the need arise.

“What are you doing working so late?” It was Barb, Grace’s friend. Her blonde hair was pulled in a tight ponytail at the top of her head and it swayed as she walked into Wendy’s office.

She studied her for a moment. The woman had been noticeably scarce and now she was barging in her office. Still, she forced a smile. “Making sure I’m prepared for the first day. You know, dotting the I’s and whatnot. What about you? Big plans for this evening?”

Barb leaned back in the chair, putting her boots on her beautiful desk. “Well, there is a pub in town. It’s owned by a Werepanther. I considered getting a drink with Grace, but she’s busy as usual.” Rolling her eyes, she released an obnoxious sigh.

“Well, she is the Lycan Queen and has a lot on her plate. I’m sure you understand.” Something about this woman had bothered Wendy when they met. Something still bothered her.

“I suppose. I just miss the Grace I had in college.”

With a huff, she tilted her head. “You mean, when she thought she was a human, lost in a world that didn’t have a place for her?”

A pout protruded from her bottom lip. “When you put it that way…”

She wanted to get away from this woman before she said something truly offensive. She stood, throwing her bag over her shoulder. “The staff here is quite large. You should get to know the others. I haven’t really seen you around much, maybe if you put yourself out there.”

Barb’s left eyebrow shot up. She’d gotten the hint of being dismissed and it obviously displeased her. “Well, I had some things to get caught up on. Then there was the Pixie who died and the bombing. I just stayed in my room where it was safe.”

What the hell kind of Werepanther hides?
She fought not to react.

“This one smells wrong.”
Her wolf stirred.

“I understand. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She walked to her door and stood next to the opening, urging her guest to leave.

“Sitting around isn’t really the way I wanted to spend a Friday night.” Barb huffed as she stormed out of her office.

After a deep, cleansing breath, she locked the door and headed off toward the West wing and down the stairs to her living quarters. Dinner had already passed but she’d planned to have drinks and conversation with Zoltar by the fire. She really wanted to spend time with him since time had been a commodity which she truly lacked over the past month.

The halls were buzzing with students, eager to start their new adventure. The Pixies had a gathering planned for them not just to entertain them, but to keep them from getting into trouble. The noise had increased as she passed the dining hall. Music echoed through the hall along with laughter. The combination of the two had Wendy smiling when she rounded the corner to her hall.

“That’s a beautiful smile.”

“Z! I was just thinking about you.” She opened her arms and ran into him, kissing his cheek and he lifted her up. “I’m finally free to spend some quality time with you, if you’ll have me.”

“Ha, ha! I have plans for you tonight. We’re dining on the roof.” He held up his hands, “I know, I know, you had a sandwich at four. Let’s put your things in your apartment and go on up.”

A sandwich wasn’t really fitting for a Lycan meal. Combine that with the elation of spending quality time with him and she was damned near giddy. She skipped forward to her door, unlocked it, set her things inside and locked it behind her. “Ready!”

With another husky laugh, he scooped her hand in his. He led her to a winding staircase at the back end of a hall to a door. When he opened it, she saw the entire Centaur herd gathered.

“Sagittarius is above us tonight, the archer. We like to have a small celebration in recognition.” Zoltar spoke in her ear, his hot breath on her cheek. “It’s a very Centaur thing to do.”

“Show me,” she looked at the stars, eager to learn.

He pointed at a group of twinkling lights that didn’t look much like anything to her. Still she smiled and nodded. When her gaze came back to the crowd, she realized they’d all watched to see her reaction. Her heart felt like it missed a beat or two.

“Can someone tell me something about Sagittarius? I’m afraid I know next to nothing about him.” She swallowed, and looked up at Zoltar.

“Bring her over here, Z. Don’t leave her standing there!” Theron tossed a wadded napkin at him.

The others laughed.

“I’m sorry, but our fearless leader seems to be a bit befuddled.” Continuing the teasing, Theron looped his arm around hers and dragged her to the long table they had set up.

“Red or white?” A young Centaur she recognized held up a bottle of each.

She smiled at him, thankful they all seemed delighted with her company. “Red, please.”

He filled her glass before reclaiming his seat. She looked around the table, their faces eager.

Zoltar’s warm palm rested on her thigh as he claimed a seat next to her. “Sagittarius represents the Centaur Chiron, which is why we hold him dear in our hearts, he’s our ancestor. He was more than an archer. A gentle being, he was also musician, physician, and tutor to Achilles, Jason, and Hercules. His arrow is pointing at Antares, the bright red heart of Scorpius.” A young Centaur handed him a tabletop telescope. He placed it on the table and looked through the glass. “Here, that star. He’s pointing it at Scorpius to avenge Orion, who was slain by the scorpion's sting.”

After looking through the telescope, she took a sip of her wine, and then placed her glass on the table as she carefully considered her words. “I can see why he’s celebrated then. A pack, or in your case, a herd, should always defend and avenge their own. Anything less would be nothing more than cowardly.” They avenged their own.
Is this a warning?

“Wendy,” Theron stood as he spoke. She turned her attention toward him. “We’re all aware of your connection to our king. As you know, we haven’t had a queen for a very long time. We brought you here, on the celebration of Sagittarius, to tell you that should you choose to take on the title and responsibility as our first queen; we would all die to protect you. We would serve you well; treat you with honor, kindness, and respect. Respect not only as our queen, but as the fierce warrior you’ve shown yourself to be.”

Words evading her, she glanced around at the stripling faces, eager to have her as their queen. Ready to accept her for who and what she is—and could be. They needn’t go through the pomp and circumstance. She’d already made up her mind. She loved Zoltar and began loving his herd, those she knew anyway.

This hadn’t been the quaint sipping of drinks by the fire she’d planned, but it certainly had an effect. Her heart swelled and soared to new heights. Yet the words weren’t coming.

“It will be my honor,” she muttered, knowing in her heart her words weren’t enough. She raised her glass. “To new beginnings.”

With reverent silence, they all lifted their glasses.

“You’ve chosen wisely,” Theron nod toward Zoltar.

She let out a quiet laugh. “Let’s just hope I serve you as well as you serve me.”

A deep voice came from her left. “If I may?”

She turned to face him. She recognized him from combat training. His name was Prometheus and he was usually very quiet, but commanding. “Of course.”

“Ma’am, I think you may be missing it. The reason we all brought you here, on this night. It’s not simply to swear an oath to you, or to share a celebration. You may be missing the correlation between you and our ancestor Chiron.” He smiled though it seemed to be more directed at Zoltar as his gaze shifted behind her. “See, Chiron was an archer, he was a great warrior. Our kind back then, well, we were…shall we say, a bit rowdy. He chose a nobler path. He was kind and gentle. He was a teacher—a Centaur who took time to teach legends. You, ma’am, you’re a fierce warrior when it’s required, defending our home, our people. When it’s not, you care for others. You put the needs of the Gnomes front and center and worked with our king and other leaders to improve their lives. You are gentle, it is your nature. It matters not whether you’re Centaur or Lycan, you were made in Chiron’s image. It’s clear to us all.”

Her hands shook as a tear stung her eye. To have someone, an entire group, see her as such a person was overwhelming. “Thank you,” she squeaked as she smoothed her hands on her pants.

“I think we’ve given her enough for one night.” Zoltar moved his and over hers. “Let us celebrate.”

Once the others took their attention off of her she turned to him. “That was overwhelming to say the least.”

Half a smile spread across the left side of his face. “You wouldn’t have believed it unless you heard it from them. They’ve been after me to do this for two weeks. Have you any idea the difficulty trying to calm an anxious herd of Centaur?” He laughed. “It’s damned near impossible.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’ve been worried I’ve neglected you. I’ve been so exhausted and—”

“Exactly. You’ve only been getting around four hours of sleep a night. I had feared you took on too much responsibility, but Grace assured me, once the class schedules were handled, you’d have more time to rest.”

She shook her head as she laughed. “It didn’t help that I double and triple checked everything, worried I would miss something important.”

“That would be sleep.” He leaning in. “And tonight I mean to insure you get an adequate amount of it. No waking early and making breakfast. You’ll sleep in and I will take care of you.” He forced his brows together and playfully wagged his finger in her face. “I insist.”

She scooped up her wine and leaned back in her chair. “You will get no argument from me!”

In her peripheral, she saw Theron wave his hand. Almost instantly, the staff placed plates in front of them containing steak, rice, and green beans. Wendy’s mouth watered.

Conversation was light during the meal. When the plates were cleared, liquor was served. The Centaurs were served Ouzo and a Lycan whiskey was placed in front of her.

“What’s this?” She held the glass in his face.

“I’m sorry? It’s Lycan whiskey. I thought you liked it.”

“Well, when in Rome.” She snatched his glass from him and tossed it back. The warm licorice liquid warmed her throat as it slid down, giving her a tiny shiver at the end. “That’s nice.”

Grinning he took her glass of whiskey and drank it for her. “I wish we could get absinthe, but it’s getting more and more difficult to find.”

“Oh, well,” she wagged her hand in the air, “you should talk to Gustav. He always has absinthe at his parties. I’m sure he’d help you.”

“Did I hear my name?” Gustav appeared behind her.

It had the expected effect. The Centaurs all jumped to their feet, startled by the sudden appearance of him.

“Relax, he is a friend.” She laughed and stood from her chair to offer her hand.

He gave it a cold gentle kiss. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Gustav, have you met Zoltar?”

The vamp smiled at the Centaur King. “Of course.”