Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 (33 page)

“And you blame the Magic Users.”

“Yes.”

“I can see why you’re so angry. What I don’t really get is why try to kill me? I’ve been seated queen for less than two years.”

“Because I was prophesized to.”

“So you want to kill me because someone said you were going to,” Syney said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard. I guess Shifters really don’t think for themselves.”

“Watch what you say!”

Syney shook her head. “How exactly do you get your prophecies?”

He looked away from her.

“I’m assuming you got this prophecy from someone. Maybe a religious leader?”

He remained silent.

Syney sighed and rolled her eyes toward Leaf. She looked back at Wes and suddenly sat up a little straighter. “Cass has been trying to come see you.”

The Shifter slowly looked back at her but still didn’t say anything.

“I could let her in. Give you some time.”

He looked at Leaf and said, “Alone.”

Syney looked at Leaf as well but with pleading eyes. She obviously needed him to talk, and this was the only way she could get him to. This wasn’t something Leaf wanted, and he made sure his look said as much to Syney. She mouthed, “Please.” Allowing a royal princess to be alone with her one-time captor was something for which he could be executed, especially if something were to happen to her. On the other hand, things were escalating, and Syney seemed to be at the center of it all. She obviously had a plan here, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of it. Finally he gave her a nod.

Syney looked back at Wes. “A visit with Cass, alone.”

He stared at her for a moment. “Our religious leader.”

“How long ago?”

“One hundred ten years ago.”

Syney was quiet for a moment before looking at Leaf. “When was the prophecy given about my coming here?”

Leaf already had made the connection. “One hundred ten years ago.”

She looked back at Wes. “How did the Shifters know to come after me in the Human Realm last year?”

Wes seemed surprised at the question. “It was prophesized.”

Syney nodded. “Interesting.”

“Why? Because our prophet is good?”

“Has he or she prophesized anything else?”

The Shifter looked away from her agai n.

“No, huh?” she said. “Has it occurred to you that maybe these things were planted? There’s a crazy war going on right now that really shouldn’t be.”

Wes banged his hand on the table, which spurred Leaf to take a step forward. “This war was begun by you! Your people! They destroyed our lands! And now they have
you
! The one who will win the war for them!”

Syney stared at him for a moment. “This war will never be won,” she said calmly.

The Shifter took some breaths. “It has to be.”

“Why? If we come to an agreement of peace, then no one else has to die.”

He leaned forward, putting his hands on the table. “My people have lost almost everything.”

“And you shouldn’t have to lose anything else.”

Wes sat back and stared at her as if she were crazy.

Syney looked at Leaf. “What will it take for us to let him go?”

Leaf decided she really was crazy. Or extremely intelligent. If she wanted to win the war, killing a Shifter assassin was a step in the right direction, but if she did want to end it peacefully, what she—and Wes by default—did in this room would go a long way. Leaf had always supported Syney and had grown to care for her greatly. But again he had loyalties to his duty as Head Guard. Right now she was forcing him to choose which side he would be on. Immediately he thought of Helen. She had come to see him the other night, and it had taken only minutes before she was in his arms once again. Syney’s motion to allow interracial pairings might have passed if they weren’t in wartime. Not that it would do much for him and Helen, being that they were both in nonpairing positions, but it might actually help those who should be paired but weren’t. Plus he was tired of living in war. He didn’t want to send his guards out on missions where they might not return. He didn’t want to be scared about allowing Syney out of the palace. He wanted a better Realm.

“It’ll have to look like a breakout,” Leaf said, “or they’ll look for an accomplice. The blame probably would fall on Cass, since they spent a good deal of time together.”

Syney nodded. “Can you arrange for it?”

“Yes, as long as you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Why?” Wes asked, looking back and forth between the two.

Syney stood up. “I recently learned that it’s sometimes better to show who you are rather than just tell someone. And this is who I am. I want this war to end peacefully.” She stared at him for a moment before leaving.

“Not everyone is the same in a race, are they?” Leaf asked Wes.

“She’s crazy.”

“No, she’s smart,” Leaf said, walking toward the door.

“Wait!” Wes said. “Can I still see Cass?”

Leaf nodded and left the room. He saw Syney a few feet away, pacing, and walked over to her. “You OK?”

She stopped and looked at him. “Yeah. Can we really do this?”

“I think so.”

She nodded. “Good. I’m hoping if he goes back, our troops might not be hurt.”

“It’s a good move.”

“Thank you for helping. I know I’m still not telling you much, but you really are doing something good. I promise.”

“Just promise to one day tell me what the hell’s going on,” Leaf said with a small smile.

She returned it, but hers was sadder. “You really don’t want to know.”

“I’ll make sure I’m the only guard on tomorrow night. Can you bring Cass down? I’d ask Helen, but I don’t want to pull her into this.”

Syney nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

Leaf took a deep breath and watched her go. He finally had chosen sides and stood firmly behind whatever Syney was doing. He just hoped she really was worth his trust. It wasn’t so much Syney he doubted but those who were her advisors, particularly Gabe and Adam. Unfortunately, in order to support her, he had to support them as well. This was something he needed to accept, and fast.

Hunter read the orders for the fifth time, hoping the words might change on the paper, but he knew they wouldn’t. They were being ordered to move north and then, after gathering some intel, to move across the border. Leaf’s orders felt forced. He knew his friend wouldn’t want them to cross into Shifter land, especially so close to their kingdom. It would look like a direct offensive move. Without a doubt Hunter knew a battle was coming, one they were provoking.

“Are those the new orders?”

He nodded at Fern as she and Ridge entered the command tent.

“We’re moving north?” Ridge asked.

Hunter nodded again and placed the orders on the map. Fern grabbed them and read them quietly. He knew she’d be happy with the move. She’d been itching to move since she’d returned from Shifter land. She’d also dropped the coldness since he’d put her in charge of the away party.

“They want us to move over the border quickly,” Fern said, handing the orders to Ridge. “It’s a good idea.”

“You had it easy last time,” Ridge said. “This time you’ll have actual Shifters coming after you.”

“Let them come,” she said, standing a little taller.

Hunter sighed and looked at Ridge. “Break down the camp. We’ll move at first light.”

“Yes, sir.” Ridge handed him the orders and shot a look at Fern before heading out of the tent.

Tensions between Ridge and Fern were growing higher every day. Ridge was proving himself to be much more like Hunter than the headstrong, impatient Fern. Hunter couldn’t blame him for getting annoyed with her. She’d been jumping on his last nerves for the past week while also being attached to his hip.

He rolled up the maps they’d brought and slipped them into several bags. He glanced at Fern a few times, but she seemed distracted, looking at the walls of the tent. “Is everything OK?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He wondered if she needed an order. She generally responded better if someone told her what to do. “Why don’t you go break down our tent?”

“Won’t you be sleeping there tonight?” she asked.

“I’ll sleep outside like everyone else.”

She nodded but didn’t move.

He sighed and walked over to her. “I thought you wanted to move.”

“Oh, I do. This is a good thing.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

She looked up at him, her usually hard face softening a little. “You don’t want to be out here.”

“No one does.”

“I do. I think what we’re doing here matters.”

He stepped back from her. “Being here is a waste of time. But I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect your opinion.”

She nodded. “I’ll go break down our tent and then patrol tonight.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she said, leaving the tent.

He watched her go, knowing there was something she wasn’t telling him. There had been a few letters sent along with the orders from Leaf, including one addressed to Fern. Hunter was pretty sure it was in his mother’s handwriting but didn’t want to ask. Rose was so against Syney that she spent much more energy getting close to Fern than was necessary. He finished packing everything up and broke down the command tent himself. Once he’d brought everything over to the growing pile of things to be moved, he wandered to the far side of camp and sat against a tree. He watched as the guards scurried about, taking down tents and talking in hushed tones. They all knew what moving farther north meant. After a while he laid his head back and closed his eyes. He didn’t expect to fall asleep, but once he started to dream, he was happy he had.

In the center of camp, he sat in front of the big fire, which burned brightly. No one else was around—well, at least no wolves. He looked at Syney, who was
staring at the fire. She looked different than she had in the other dreams. It usually only took moments before they were in each other’s arms, but now she looked as if she didn’t even want to be here. He reached out and touched her hair. She sighed and looked at him.

“You look beautiful,” he said, cupping her face in his hand.

She leaned into it, and he felt her tears.

“What is it?” he asked.

She shook her head and moved away from his hand. “Is this real?”

He gave her an inquisitive look. “What do you mean?”

She looked at him. “Are you dreaming? Right now?”

He laughed. “Wow. I guess I’m so stressed out that my subconscious fantasy is questioning me.” He cradled his head in his hands. He felt her stand up, and he looked over at her.

“I think I might like it better out here than the palace. It’s so open,” she said, looking past the fire. She looked back at him. “I tried to bring the troops home, but that damn council is so scared. I did something with a Shifter too. I think it might help when you go over the border.”

Hunter stared at her. Either his fantasy was talking strategy or…well, who knew? Strange things always had happened to them; who was to say this couldn’t be one of them? He stood up. “Syney?”

A few tears dropped from her eyes as she bit her lip and nodded.

“How?”

“I healed Noelle, and now she feels what I feel. And I healed you…”

He looked away, embarrassment rising within him. “The whole time?”

“Uh-huh.”

He thought about all his dreams about Syney, most of which didn’t involve much clothes or talking. He had acted in ways he never would have if he she were actually there with him; he’d been more aggressive and forceful. He thought of the last time and stopped. “You said you…knew everything.”

She nodded. “Helen told me about Cass.”

He let out a breath. “I didn’t want you to know.”

“Why? I don’t get it.”

He looked at her for a few moments. “Because even if I come back, we can’t do this. I thought that if I broke your heart, you’d move on hating me.”

Tears fell down her cheeks. “I did. Mission accomplished.”

“I’m sorry. I had to think quickly, and it was all I could come up with.”

She wiped her cheeks. “Just don’t go over the border right away. I think my plan may work with the Shifter.”

“I’ll try, but I have antsy wolves who want a fight at this point.”

“How
is
Fern?” she asked in a mocking tone.

Hunter looked away and shook his head. “Is Noelle all right?”

“What?”

“You said you had to heal her.”

Syney sighed. “A Shifter tried to stab me, and she jumped in the way.”

His eyes widened. “In the palace?”

Her annoyance fell quickly, replaced by guilt. “Um, no. We were coming back from the Human Realm,” she said quietly.

He rolled his eyes. “Let me guess. With Gabe?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I can’t believe you talked Reed into that. He’s still your Protector, right? You didn’t scare him off or kill him?”

“Yes, he’s still my Protector, and it wasn’t that hard,” she said. “He’s becoming more like you every day. He finally gets the fact that I don’t listen very well and just rolls with it.”

Hunter laughed. “I really miss you.” He looked away, feeling his own tears coming. He wasn’t about to cry in front of her. He looked back at her when she stayed silent. She was staring at him, her eyes sad. He cleared his throat. “Have I missed much?”