Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children (27 page)

G
IFTS

Hendrix Bane stood
on a
raised
platform before the people of Ellvin and
basked in the enthusiasm of their
vocal
adoration.
At
long
last, he was their beloved champion once again, and it was almost as intoxicating as the blood. The shouts and
cries
of praise and appreciation was deafening
as the
Ellvinians danced and
cheered in complete abandon at the news he just delivered. Soon, word would spread to the outlaying areas of Ellvin and all would know that the rumors were indeed true. A life-saving supply of wormwood plants had arrived with the visitors and their ill loved ones would once again have access to the draught.
All thanks to Hendrix Bane.

“Premier Bane!”

“Premier Bane!”

Hendrix lifted both arms to accept their ardent shouts and his action caused them to scream even louder.

For Hendrix, this momentous event in Ellvinian history was marred
only
by the fact that the Vypir was missing. Standing beside him with enough magic to render him unconscious were
five
Massan shifters. More
were undoubtedly on their way
here
from Samara and Chandal, and he had no way to milk them.

His body trembled with need. The sudden withdrawal was affecting him much more than he realized it would. The
plant-extracted drink that kept him alive now
tasted bland and putrid.
A
poor substitute
indeed
for the blood.

He glanced at his
Seconds. If their
sickly
faces were any indication, they were feeling the same as he.

Hendrix was about to turn back to his loving subjects when he noticed that
the
large man on the platform beside him
was
looking
directly at him with an
unusually penetrating
gaze. It was almost as though
the man could read his thoughts and did not like what he found there. Hendrix turned away quickly and idly
wondered what type of magic these newcomers
possessed. Were they all watershifters like the Massans that were abducted previously? Out of the water, those shifters
proved quite
harmless and very easy to subdue.
But, the six standing next to him did not have the same bodies as the watershifters, and they looked different.
Bolder. Stronger.

Eventually, he
would
uncover the
answers to
all his
questions and more, but first he needed that
damn
Vypir! If his Adjunct did not find
it
soon, the Massans would leave and Hendrix could
very well be forced to
go the rest of his life without the blood.

It was an unthinkable prospect.

A light hand on his arm startled him. He turned. It was Kiernan, the beautiful shifter with the light hair and green eyes.

“Premier Bane, I was wondering if it would be possible to be shown to our rooms. After
more than
a week on a ship, we would like to freshen up.”

“Of course! How
inconsiderate
of me not to suggest it before. It is just that the news you bring to our island is of such staggering importance to our people.
To show our appreciation, we have arranged an elaborate feast in your honor this evening.”

She gave him a
charming
smile. “I
am
just very pleased that we could aid you in this matter.”

Hendrix clapped his hands sharply and an Ellvinian servant hurried forward up onto the platform. “Please show our guests to their rooms at the compound.” He turned back to Kiernan. “It is a
full
league
walk from here so I will have horses readied for the short trip.”

“Thank you, Premier, but that will not be necessary. After such a long journey on the ship, a walk would be a delightful change of pace. It will also give us the opportunity to explore your
lovely
island. The caves we saw from the sea are magnificent.”

Hendrix hesitated
as he thought of
the Vypir
on the loose. If the creature scented the magical blood of the shifters, there is no telling what it would do. But, there was no easy way to turn down Kiernan’s simple request without
arousing suspicion.
He decided
to send two Battlearms with the shifters just in case the Vypir reappeared.

“Very well. I will arrange an escort.”

Kiernan smiled at the large shifter. “Do not bother yourself.
My Mage husband is all the escort I will ever need.”

Hendrix stumbled back and almost fell from the platform. Kiernan reached out to him with a steadying arm. “Are you all right?” she asked in a concerned voice.

Hendrix quickly recovered and fanned his face. “Aye, I think all of the excitement of the day is catching up to me. Did you say Mage?”

Her green eyes lit up. “Yes, my husband is a Mage.”

Hendrix licked his lips
at the unexpected gift. It seemed the makings of a new Vypir just landed squarely in his lap.

* * * * *

“We are
losing control!” Samara fumed at the two Shiprunners sitting at the table with her in the mayor’s private office. They were Chandal’s most trusted officers and she felt at ease speaking freely in front of them.
She leaned
forward and slammed
both palms on the table.
“Most of the people of the city have fled
right under our noses!
How in the Netherworld could that have happened? You do realize they will be returning with reinforcements?”

The more senior of the two flinched back from her. “Second Samara, we are sailors not fighters.”

“You can secure a gate, can’t you? Your delicate hands
won’t get bloodied
standing in front of a closed
gate!”
She
jabbed a finger at the
Shiprunners. “This mess lies squarely at the feet of
your
caste! You have allowed your sailors to run amok in the city
to frighten the citizens
off before we could
properly
contain
them!” She stood
back
and began pacing. “Wait until the Premier hears of this. I will not take the blame, I tell you. No! This is Chandal’s fault and his alone.”

“What do you suggest, Second?”

Samara took a deep breath. “Have
you
found that boy with the golden eyes yet?”

He
shook his head. “No, Second, not yet.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers and tried to repress the desire to kill these two officers where they sat. Once
a bit
calmer, she said. “Well, find him.
Not only is he a
powerful magic user, but a Prince of this land. We cannot afford to lose him.”
She cursed under her breath. The situation could not be worse. For the first time in centuries, they found a source for both the wormwood plants and the blood and now they were about to
squander
it all
away. Discretion was
what was
needed, but instead they
tromped over the Massans like arrogant swine.
Did Chandal really think the sequester of the estate’s inhabitants in the cellar would go unnoticed? Why was he not reining in his people? It was unlike him to be so careless in his duties.
Speaking of which,
“Where is Chandal?”
she screamed at the top of her lungs.

One of the Shiprunners cleared his throat uneasily. “He…he is with the girl?”

“That little Elf?” she
shrieked
at them. “How dare he?
We are in the middle of a hostile takeover and he is
enjoying a bloody bedroom romp?
Go get him! If he is not in this room within a quarter of an hour,
I will personally cut his—”

The door to the office
opened behind her.

Samara twisted around
and
could
hardly
believe her eyes. “Emile!” As proof of her fragile state, she did the unthinkable. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

Emile returned the embrace rigidly, clearly uncomfortable with her demonstrative behavior.
“Nice to see you, too, Samara. I think.”

Red-faced, she pulled away from him. What was she doing? She was a high-ranking Second of the Ellvinian Empire, and an emotional outburst of this nature was far beneath her.
Very far.
Taking a deep breath, she smoothed out her
tongor
and raised her head to meet his gaze. “My apologies, Emile. It’s just that it has not been going exactly as planned lately. I will admit that I am pleased to see you here.”

He cocked his head to the side. “That much is obvious.”

She turned away from him so he could not see her blush. “Please sit down. We were just discussing the problems
at hand.” Emile sat,
and she described the events of the past few days making sure to highlight Chandal’s inadequacies in controlling the Shiprunners. Emile might be a Second
just as she, but everyone knew he was the Premier’s right-hand man.

“Have you brought reinforcements?” she asked hopefully.

“At the moment, two hundred Battlearms, but in my wake another
twenty
thousand. Will that do?” he asked smugly.

Her body trembled in relief, but she managed to keep
her
excitement
under control.
Her lips twitched up
into a smile. “Aye, I think that will do just nicely.”

“I think it is time I had a talk with Chandal to see what he has to say about all this,” Emile said and stood.

“Agreed,” she said, still smiling. Because, although
discretion was preferred, a Battlearm would do the job just as well.
The only difference was the amount of blood involved.
And, as an Ellvinian, that was
pure
magic to her ears.

* * * * *

Kane
was glad he took the time to speak to Lars
as the
mayor did
offer him
a way to bypass most of the guards watching Chandal’s room.

With the help of
Kellan and Kirby, they stormed
the
kitchens and quickly dispatched
the Ellvinians inside. From there, it took no time to locate
the small lift
Lars told them
of
built
into the back wall by the hearth. It was nothing more than a wooden platform linked to a
pulley system designed to carry dirty dishes from the guest chambers directly to the kitchens, but
it
was exactly what
he needed.

Somehow,
Kane managed to
squeeze
his bulk onto the platform and hand over fist, hauled himself
up the chute.
By the time he reached the third floor, sweat poured from this face
and his arms
quivered
from
the effort.
At the top, he paused to listen for any
hint
of
noise outside of the lift. Hearing nothing, he slid the tiny door open and
unfolded his
cramped body free.
A quick glance told him that no one was guarding this particular hall
that was
used primarily by the servants.

As Kane moved down the corridor, he withdrew his sword
and
focused on the fight ahead of him.
Lars told him there
were four Ellvinians guarding Chandal’s room, and he
would have to defeat them all to get to Izzy. Could Alia be in there as well?
His heart hammered in his chest at the thought of her. He had promised her a date, and it was a promise he intended to keep.
Emboldened by his
chivalrous desires, he
turned the corner at
a
full sprint with his sword out in front of him.
Skidding to an abrupt stop, he saw that there
were
not four guards. There were
seven.

Having no other choice,
he struck.