Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children (41 page)

Kellan knelt next to Maks.
Maks, what is the matter?

“The oath rises,” Kane
whispered.

Kellan stood when
Nazar took a
threatening
step
toward him. Over the plaintive wails of the Draca Cats,
Kellan heard a bone break. Nazar’s
eyes widened in surprise and his
gait took on a limp, but he kept coming
. I denounce the oath!

More screams
spewed
from the Draca Cats
as they twisted in mortal agony.

Kellan clenched his fists as he prepared to battle Nazar, but shrank back when
another crack of bone echoed in the night.
Nazar fell to the ground with a yelp of pain.

Nazar! You must stop!

The large cat
struggled off the ground and
came on, now
dragging both
hind legs behind him.
I denounce the oath!

The terrible howls of the Draca Cats were heartbreaking
to hear.
“Kane! What can we do?”

“There is nothing that can be done, brother.”

A
loud
popping noise
sounded and Nazar’s ears and nose began to leak blood.
Droplets of red splattered to the cobblestones.
I denounce the oath!

Nazar! Save
yourself! I am not your enemy!

Kellan heard a third snapping break, and
Nazar fell to the ground
once again.
Crawling now, Nazar
used one enormous paw to pull his body forward to try and
get to Kellan. A river of blood left in his wake, he refused to stop.

I…denounce…the oath!
The self-proclaimed Sovereign of Callyn-Rhe issued one last
scream of defiance and then
his
massive
snowy head, hit the
cobblestones
with a
horrible
thud
just
inches from Kellan’s boots.

All went quiet.

Maks got to his feet shakily.

Are you all right?
Kane asked him.

He nodded, but he looked furious as he stalked to the wall, his muzzle lifted in a snarl.
What of you, brothers and sisters!
Does any other wish to try and harm my bondmate? If so, I promise you, I will kill you long before the oath!

Another large male cat stepped forward and leapt from the wall to land next to Maks.

I am
Muuki. I will address the pride.

Maks reluctantly nodded and stepped back.
Brothers and sisters! Nazar covered my eyes, but now I see! He deceived my heart, but now I feel the familiar oath beating there still.
The son of Kenley
is right. We
are the children of oath!
The Draca paced before the wall.
This oath does not make us subservient to the Kenleys, it makes us equals!
It makes us whole!
For I know that the Kenleys would give their lives to protect us just as we would do for them. They are the magic and we are the might! Let no one come against us and live! We are stronger by virtue of the oath! We are stronger together!

Muuki’s words touched Kellan deep in his soul, and he threw his fist in the air.
“We are the children of oath! Together we fight!” He said the words aloud so the Ellvinians would know what they faced.

Kane appeared at his side and lifted his fist.
“The children of oath!”

While the recovered Draca Cats howled their agreement
into the night, furtive movement behind Muuki
caught
Kellan’s
notice,
and he watched
a female Draca prowl forward
from the stairs in the wall.

Muuki followed Kellan’s gaze and spun around.
Rheka!

Do not worry, Muuki, I will not hurt you.

No, you won’t,
Muuki replied with a low warning growl.

My mate is now dead,
and I accept that. I come to ask if you will still allow me to be part of the pride.

I am not the Sovereign, Rheka, but all Draca Cats who follow our laws are part of the pride.

That is what I came to hear.
The female swung her head toward
Kellan.
I stand with you, son of Kenley. My oath beats firm.

Kellan nodded.

Rheka bowed her head
and retreated back to the wall
.

It is as it should be,
Muuki said to Kellan
.
We stand
united
together.

I am
in your debt.
While it is true that at the end of the Mage War, the Draca Cats chose seclusion, it
was
not
imposed by humans. If you wish to now come out of hiding, it is up to you.
As long as you do not harm innocent people, you need not fight us for that right.

Muuki nodded his acknowledgement.

Kirby Nash
hurried to Kellan’s side and
grabbed his arm. “Your Grace, look!” Suddenly tense,
Kellan
swung his
head
to where
he pointed. It was Emile. He was walking toward the center of
the city
square waving a white cloth with one hand and
the
other raised
high
in
acceptance of defeat.

“Princes of Iserlohn! I come forward to offer our surrender!”
He stopped halfway there. “We surrender!”

In unison, the Draca Cats growled out their frustrated disappointment.

C
HAPTER
33

C
ALM
B
EFORE THE
S
TORM

Kellan started toward Emile
cautiously and sensed the others fall into step beside him to
create a fearsome line.
Kane, Izzy, Maks, Jain, Kirby Nash, and protectors Gregor, Haiden, Elon and the Dwarf, Iben, who, Kellan was
pleased
to see had survived his
reckless
dive
into the enemy.

When
he was within speaking distance,
he stopped. “A surrender?
Now, it is your turn to use this
tactic,
Ellvinian?”

Emile dropped the cloth to the ground. “No
tactic. I will not throw away any more Ellvinian lives fighting
powerful
beasts or your shifter magic.” He snorted
nervously. “If this is what a handful of shifters can do, I can only imagine
at the might of your
entire nation.” He paused
and Kellan could see emotion behind
the Elf’s
eyes. “But, there is another reason
I call a truce
this night
and it is a simple matter of what is right. The people of this island have never caused
Ellvinians
harm
and, in fact, have done just the opposite.” He shook his head. “There is no glory in this conflict!
We do no fight over religion or for power or
to resolve
boundary disputes. We do not fight for civil
rights or against oppression!
Our Premier ordered us here so he can
bask in
the euphoria of your blood.
Even as an
Ellvinian
who lusts for the blood, I say that is not just.
I will fight no more.”

Kellan had no idea what Emile was referring to when he spoke of the blood, but refrained from questioning the Elf when
Kirby stepped forward with his hand firmly on the hilt of his sword.
“Are all the Ellvinians with you in agreement?”

Emile blinked. “All but one.” He gestured and two Battlearms brought forth a bound Samara.

The woman did not struggle, but directed an icy glare at Emile. “You will lose your head for this when the Premier learns of your cowardice.”

“If I have my say, Samara, Hendrix Bane will not be the Premier of Ellvin for very much longer.”
Emile
signaled
again and Samara was
led
away.

Kirby strode closer
to the Ellvinian Second.
“We will grant your surrender with
impunity, but our two nations will not be at peace until the ambassadors that sailed to your island are
returned to us safely.
Your Shiprunners and Battlearms are free to leave, but you will stay.
If anything has happened
to them, you will die
first and then a campaign of war will be waged against Ellvin.”

Emile nodded. “Under the circumstances,
I can expect no less.
For what it is worth, the Premier ordered almost
the entire contingent of
Battlearms
here
to Massa. If your ambassadors are as powerful as you have shown yourselves to be, the Ellvinians do not stand a chance.”

Kirby
eyes narrowed. “They are
not
as powerful as us, they are far stronger.”

As Kellan listened in, he found it difficult
to believe it was over.
After days of
relentless
terror and making peace with his
impending
death,
the threat to Massa was at an end.
He was
going to live after all.
It would take time for the survivors to recover from the deaths that resulted from the battle, but they would get through it together.
As though
sanctioning this
new chance at life, the sun
peeked through the rainclouds
and a ray of light shined down on Northfort.
Kellan lifted his face to its comforting warmth.

Click. Click. Shuffle.

What…?

He turned to
the strange noise
and
a powerful blow sent his body flailing across the length of the square. The air rushed from his lungs as he smashed against the
outer wall.
Stunned from the impact, he first heard the warning screams and then the clicking of claws
moving very fast
on
cobblestones.

He knew
in
that moment that it was the Vypir.

He tried to stand, but the beast
was on him before he could
pull himself upright. The Vypir
pinned him to the ground by his shoulders,
and Kellan watched in horror as a tail with sharp fangs
reared up behind the beast and struck out at his
neck.

“No!” He tried to struggle, but even with his strength could not dislodge the creature once it
latched on and
began to suck his blood.
Sudden dread filled him. The vile beast was not only taking his blood, but his magic as well!
Kellan
felt his connection with the earth slipping from his control.
He
clawed
desperately to grasp it back, but the link
was growing
smaller and harder to recognize.

“Tolah!”
Someone cried out.

Through his panic,
Kellan
sensed
others rushing across the
square to come to his aid,
could hear their boot strikes on the stone. His vision blurred. Blackness pushed seductively
at
the edges of
his consciousness
and
beckoned
him to let go.
The temptation to leave everything behind and find refuge in the spirit world surged
potently
through his
enervated
mind and body. Death whispered and cajoled, urging him to seek release.
Kellan
parted his lips
to accept the offer, but furious snarls
in his ear startled him into
full
wakefulness
once again. His body was jerked first one way and then another.
Powerful teeth grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him out of the grasp of the Vypir.